


In Dreams I Walk With You

by TheBooBox



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blow Jobs, Characters with various sexual preferences, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Cunnilingus, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Multi, My First Fanfic, Naruto belongs to kishimoto, i got and idea in my head and it wont go away, will tag as I go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 10:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17507255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBooBox/pseuds/TheBooBox
Summary: It was Sakura who noticed it first.They all had achieved their dreams, the same ones they stated all those years ago during team introductions. Naruto was Hokage, recognized not only by the village but throughout the entire shinobi world. Sakura had become the wife of her first and only love, proudly wearing the Uchiha clan symbol on her back for all to see. Sasuke had killed that certain man and restored his clan both in name and numbers. And Kakashi…well he was who he was. They all had their families, friends, careers, children. Everything was good, but at the same time it wasn’t. Something was off, and they were all missing it, or ignoring it, or both.The real question was, how long until it was too late?





	1. Something's Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1940-The Submarines

It was Sakura who noticed it first.

They all had achieved their dreams, the same ones they stated all those years ago during team introductions. Naruto was Hokage, recognized not only by the village but throughout the entire shinobi world. Sakura had become the wife of her first and only love, proudly wearing the Uchiha clan symbol on her back for all to see. Sasuke had killed that certain man and restored his clan both in name and numbers. And Kakashi…well he was who he was. They all had their families, friends, careers, children. Everything was good, but at the same time it wasn’t. Something was off, and they were all missing it, or ignoring it, or both. 

 

After a lifetime of telling everyone who would listen that he was going to be the greatest hokage, Naruto finally achieved his dream. His face was on the mountain right next to Kakashi-sensei, but the job was killing him. It seemed like masked pervert and Tsunade baa-chan had an easier time doing the job, and their assistants weren’t Nara geniuses. They also didn’t have the advantage of shadow clones, and what was supposed to be the greatest amount of chakra any single being could possess let alone have access to. So why the hell was he so exhausted all the damn time? 

He finally had his own family, but he hardly ever saw them due to his duties and never ending supply of paperwork. His wife Hinata and daughter Himawari loved him unconditionally, but his son resented and rebelled against him. He once mentioned to Sakura how similar Boruto was to Menma, sans Kyuubi, and she laughed it off saying it was what he deserved for all the trouble he used to cause. He also had brought Sasuke back home, but he was hardly there either due to his mission. Naruto was an absentee husband with an absentee best friend. He had everything he wanted, and not. 

Yet the village was thriving. The five nations were at peace, the other kages sharing an understanding and a common enemy in the strange, over-powered chakra stealing aliens that threatened all of existence. So Naruto worked, telling himself that the safety of the village and the world came first even before his own needs, and that his family understood.

 

Sakura loved Sasuke since she was a little girl and dreamed of being his wife one day, and now he was finally hers. She had worked so hard to get his love for so long, and he had given her his name and a daughter. She was a renown med-nin with a job she loved, but she was achingly lonely. All her friends had their husbands or lovers, but at night her bed was cold. Even Hinata at least could see Naruto somewhat regularly. With Sasuke, she never knew when or if he would come home. 

It was easy to pretend, even when Sarada asked about him, she focused on the good parts. Sarada looked so much like him, so Sakura lived off the attention the girl gave her, giving all her love to her child. Whether it was the excess love she couldn’t give to her husband who wasn’t there or she was just compensating on Saradas’ behalf for lack of a present father, she didn’t know. When the girl questioned her paternity and ran away, her heart broke again. It was Sasuke leaving the village all over again, the rejection tearing into her even after they had all safely returned home. 

She had been able to take a little of her anger out on Shin, and they had lived together as a real family for a short while. But later when Sasuke left again, the loneliness was back again, whispering in the dark silence of her bedroom, threatening to consume her. Despite her misery, she walked out of her door with a bright smile on her face, reminiscent of Naruto when they were children. She told herself she was happy, and some days she really believed it.

 

Sasuke had avenged his clan, though it was all wrong. The nightmares he had as a child of his family being murdered were nothing to the ones he now had of killing his beloved brother. Danzo may have been truly justified, however those dreams didn’t satisfy him the way they should have. In the end, it was done. His greatest ambition achieved. His clans’ reputation had been shit, but he spent the last decade and a half working to restore it. Eventually, he finally became the ninja he felt he needed to be, working to protect the village from the shadows just as Itachi had. He had been able to form a relationship with Sakura as well, and through her the physical restoration of the Uchiha had been possible. Though he could not find himself able to increase their number beyond Sarada. 

He told himself his mission came first. That coming to the village wasn’t necessary. Not when messages to his only friend would do. Not when it hurt to see Naruto shackled to the village that had hated and used them, drained beyond recognition. Or Sakura, so bright and ready to love him in a way he could not return because he was broken. Or the daughter he almost killed because he didn’t know her, didn’t connect with. Connecting with Boruto had been somewhat easier, too similar to a hybrid child version of Naruto and himself without the trauma. Even that had been painful, to see the boy look at him the same way Naruto used to in rare moments, to see the boy make similar mistakes for the sake of power as he had in his quest for vengeance. In general, people were difficult. So he left to continue his mission. It was for the best.

 

Kakashi never voiced his dreams aloud. Not on the day he met his first and only genin team, and not when they came true either. When Obito had been released from his burdens, joining Rin in the afterlife, Kakashi kept his happiness to himself. When Naruto said his farewells to Minato-sensei, who looked down on his son with pride, Kakashis’ heart swelled in silence. And when he looked upon a reunited Team 7, laughing and broken at the Valley, he celebrated internally, though allowed himself a small moment of vocal expression. 

He had taken the mantle of hokage in honor of his friend and retired peacefully. Yet now he was fighting boredom. The small task of testing a few genin shouldn’t have been that thrilling, but neither should the rest of the drama. He supposed he was drawn to it because of his love for Icha Icha, but then again there was always something nagging at him. A feeling that no matter how good things were, he deserved none of this peace. Not when he was and would always be Kakashi Hatake, friend killer. Not when Might Guy was still crippled and had lost one of his students in the war while Kakashis’ students had all gone on to accomplish great things. And not when he could trace everything back to that one mission, the one where he was in charge.

If he had just listened to Obito and gone back for Rin in time, Madara would have never been able to use Obito that way. The Kyuubi would have never been released, Minato and Kushina would have lived, the Uchiha massacre avoided, and his two male students growing up with their families instead of alone. Obito might have been hokage as well, and Rin would have never been sacrificed. Of course, his logical side told him that Black Zetsu would have found another pawn anyway, perhaps one who they wouldn’t have been able to turn to their side, that the war was inevitable. But each day he sat soaking in hot springs, seemingly enjoying a life of retirement so few ninja ever get to see, the dark thoughts creep in.

 

And then one day while doing laundry, Sakura remembered what Naruto said about Boruto being similar to Menma, and the pieces began to fall into place.


	2. It Can't Be Helped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Us and Them-Pink Floyd
> 
> also: a wee bit of sex at the end

Sakura sat frozen on the couch of her modest home for what felt like hours, staring at nothing while her mind ran wild. Her heart had sunk into the pit of her stomach, sweaty palms gripping the half folded sheet and chills came in relentless waves. Her mind turning things over and over again until she could no longer keep track of it all. Some of her memories were too hazy, too faded with the years gone by. After a long while, somehow she managed to steady her breath and find some calm. Releasing the damp sheet she blinked slowly and looked around. Green eyes settled on the photo mantle, and her resolve crumbled.

Her family. Her husband. Their daughter. There was no way it could be anything other than what it was, right? Abandoning the linens, she decided to get some fresh air. Surprisingly, it was still daylight out. She set out into the village, determined to prove her paranoia false.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. 

 

Naruto, as usual, was seated in his office, eyeing the fresh stack of paperwork Shikamaru had left him like it had come to life and threatened to burn Ichiraku’s down to the ground. The bags under his eyes were steadily growing more visible, but he chalked it up to lack of sleep. He had actually gotten a full night’s rest last night at his advisor’s insistence, so it didn’t make sense why he still felt like shit. Even his clones were decreased in numbers due to the number of genin taking over a few extra D ranks.

He was still glaring when he heard it again. The almost inaudible wailing coming from inside him. Over the years he had learned to ignore it. At first he worriedly questioned Kurama about it, thinking it was the other bijuu in need of help, but the fox had told him it was nothing. Memories. Echoes of the past. Figments of the imagination. It was louder back then, but now it was so low he could only hear it in his quiet moments. 

Sighing and shifting his gaze toward hokage mountain, he mumbled a curse and grabbed the first file in the stack. Keeping busy would help him ignore the fading internal sounds. He popped a soldier-pill from his stash and began the day’s monotony. No matter how much sleep, how strong the pills or how many, he was always tired. It got so he was just used to this state of being, and nowadays being less tired was as good as not at all. After an hour or so, a knock at the door followed by a familiar head of pink was a welcome distraction from the torturous trade contract he was already losing interest in.

“Sakura-chan!” Heavy blue eyes lit up as he rose to greet his surrogate sister in a bone crushing hug. Uncharacteristically startled, Sakura returned the hug briefly and greeted her friend. 

“Naruto,” she gripped his arms and searched his eyes for something.

He tried to raise his hands defensively yet he only managed part way since his upper arms were locked in place. “Uh, hey before you say anything, I totally got a full eight hours last night, and Hinata made a really big breakfast before I came here, and I still have some snacks and soldier-pills stashed in my desk just in case I get hungry before lunch, and Shika is picking up ramen today so-”

“Naruto.” She interrupted his breathless rambling with a tighter squeeze of his biceps.

“Yeah Sakura-chan? Are you ok? You’re kinda going a little hard with the death grip and all you know?” He didn’t move to release himself, only gently placed his hands on her arms, worry marring his features. “Is it Sasuke? Did you hear something?” He automatically started reaching out through his chakra and the sage-link (as he called it) to feel his best friends’ presence. No matter how far he was, if Naruto concentrated enough, he could always feel Sasuke. Even if it was faint, the small thump let him know he was alive, somewhere. It was a small comfort he was grateful for. Once he felt it his muscles relaxed minutely, though he was sure if he was a lesser man his arms would be broken by now.

“Naruto,” she said again looking at him with a mixture of fear and relief.

“Uh, yes Sakura-chan?” Naruto was a little freaked out by her behavior. Sakura was acting weird, but he had enough sense and experience to remain calm. Especially if he didn’t want to get hit for calling her out on it. Hokage or not, the woman wouldn’t hesitate to knock him into next week. Plus, as long as Sasuke was ok he figured whatever it was it couldn’t be too bad.

She still didn’t know how she had found her way there. Walking through the village had only made things worse. She had run into Ino along the way and her friend had prodded her lightly, mistaking Sakura’s dampened spirits for missing her husband. She looked into Ino’s pale blue-green eyes and found them lacking in…something. Glancing at her reflection in the glass behind the platinum blonde, she saw her own eyes were normal, but not. Not empty like Ino’s, but…different. Slightly disturbed, she swallowed her emotions and looked back at her friend. Sakura excused herself politely, ignoring the pitying look on Ino’s face as she turned to walk away.

As she wandered about, shinobi instincts kicked in and she carefully observed everyone casually. In each pair of eyes, she discovered that they were all lacking the same thing, though she knew not what. She avoided speaking with as many people as she could, for once cursing the fact she was so well known and not a reclusive ninja like Kakashi-sensei had been. No one would have dared to approach him so openly before he had become hokage, and that kind of anonymity had its advantages. Advantages she simply didn’t have the luxury for. She found herself missing the man and wondering where he was. He would know what to do, how to correctly analyze the situation. That is, if his eyes were full.

Now, standing in the hokage’s office, she was only half surprised. Naruto. Her instincts always led her to him when she was in trouble. She looked into his eyes desperately, searching for the missing component and found none. He was different. He had to be. She knew it. 

The pink haired woman took a deep breath and loosened her fingers slightly while maintaining eye contact. Her voice was steady despite the storm inside her. “We need to talk.”

 

His rinnegan was bothering him again. Every once in a while he’d get that dull throbbing that seemed to increase as the years went by. When it first started, it was so slight he hardly noticed it. Now though, it felt like it was an angry migraine centered in one very small, very inconvenient spot. The pain pills Sakura had given him were of no help. They could have been placebos for all he knew. Hell, he wouldn’t have blamed her for it either. He knew he wasn’t husband or father of the year and should she harbor any resentment towards him for it he would have accepted it. Gritting his teeth, he summoned the bottle and some water to wash them down. Placebos or not he would take two anyway and hope it worked out.

An hour later, Sasuke was somewhere along the southern fire country border when he felt it. It wasn’t new nor was it exactly unwelcome. He knew automatically it was the dobe, reaching out to check on him like mothers checked in on their sleeping babies to make sure they were still breathing. Sakura had done the same thing with Sarada as a newborn constantly. He hadn’t understood the need for it, but accepted it was just something that they needed to do to relive themselves of unnecessary worry. 

Though usually when Naruto did it, it was in the middle of the night, probably due to nightmares which of course he could understand. Travelling on his own for so long, he had trained his body to wake up at the slightest disturbance, this being no exception. And that small little caress of his chakra, or as the idiot called it, “sage-link”, would bring a small smile to his face even when he was sleeping. 

Somehow, knowing his friend cared and was thinking about him didn’t bother him at all. And when they saw each other or communicated through messages, neither of them brought it up. It was still embarrassing, and Sasuke would just as well pretend he never noticed. It’s not like he ever tried to reciprocate. He knew in his bones if anything ever happened to the moron he would feel it. There was no need for mothering on his end.

This time was different. There was no comfort in the blonde seeking him out. Not to mention it was mid-morning and he knew Naruto was chained to his desk. So unless he had fallen asleep there (somewhat likely) and had a particularly bad dream (about him and not man-eating paperwork), that meant this was work related. That meant it had to be bad enough for him to check Sasuke’s life-force. Perhaps Otsutsuki related. Perhaps something less significant. Either way, his instincts were telling him that something was definitely wrong. 

He stopped walking and turned to face the direction of the village. He wanted to ignore the nagging and increase the distance between him and that place. He could simply send a message hawk there. It would save him the trip back and in a few days he’d get a reply telling him everything was ok. He had just left there recently anyway, and it would be silly to go back just because of something so small. But if something was seriously wrong, then…

Giving up he started off in Konoha’s direction. He’d make it in a few hours’ tops, pop in, see the dobe, and pop out. If all was well no one else would even notice he was there. He would use the run to think of a reasonable excuse for his surprise visit, just in case. 

 

Kakashi laid back and stared lazily at the woman seated between his legs. She wasn’t the best at giving head, but she wasn’t the worst either. His room at the hot springs just outside the village had been upgraded to a deluxe suite free of charge. One of the ladies who was also visiting there claimed to be a fan of Icha Icha Violence he just happened to be reading, and offered to share her favorite parts with him. In private. He invited her to his fancy suite, and was now torn between the sight before him and the book loosely gripped in his left hand.

In the end, it was the book that won. To be honest, he knew the series by heart after reading them all so many times. It was also kind of a kink to be reading porn and receiving some simultaneous physical gratification other than his own hand. The woman herself was pretty but plain, and even if she was a knock out, the book usually won anyway.

He stifled a small moan as she moved her mouth from his cock to his balls, sucking on them while rapidly stroking him. Now that was something to write home about. He turned the page to a particularly graphic scene and a few well-placed stroked later he gripped her hair in his free hand. She moved her tongue up his shaft quickly to swallow him and he came violently as she sucked. Hearing her muffled moans, he opened his eyes and glanced down. She had her own free hand between her legs and by the motions she was cumming as well. 

He smiled behind his mask and stroked her brown hair softly. She released his shaft with a small pop and collapsed backward on her heels. Satisfied, she smiled at him and waved a glistening hand in greeting. “So Hatake-san, care to share your favorite passage next?”

He looked into her eyes and laughed softly. They were the same as all the others. Dull. Missing something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed every woman he took to bed had the same hollow look. It wasn’t just them either; it was everyone else too. Well, almost everyone. His students didn’t have those eyes. He believed it was because they meant more to him. They were his family, and perhaps that meant he was only seeing what was reflected in his heart, or something equally as cheesy.

Kakashi chose to focus his gaze on the lightly tan breasts slowly making their way towards him instead of the eyes of the woman they belonged to. He brought up the book and turned a few pages before finding what he was looking for. “How’s this one for you?” he asked as she climbed onto his lap. She glanced at the page before turning back to him and nodding. Kakashi was content to ignore dealing with his emotions and eye-issues for the time being.


	3. Gone Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ordinary World-Duran Duran

The day Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha’s number one hyperactive unpredictable ninja became hokage was one he’d never forget. Mainly because he wasn’t around for most of it. Himawari had knocked him and Kurama out with a single strike and he missed the whole thing. From what he heard it had gone well, and at the end of the day he got the job so it didn’t really bother him. Mostly. Either way, he had gone to sleep (forcibly) a regular shinobi and woke up the most powerful symbol in the village in the course of several hours. It was literally a dream come true.

Falling in love with Hinata had been somewhat the same. One day he loved her as a friend and fellow leaf shinobi, the next they were planning their wedding. He had floated through memories he had pushed out of his mind and realized how much she cared for him. It had been strange to feel someone else’s love for him like that. It was something he had never experienced before, at least from that perspective. His life-long love for Sakura and Sasuke had been one-sided until they supposedly weren’t. And even then he hadn’t known what to do with it all and panicked each time. He had grown up alone and hated and loving others from afar. Receiving love was a foreign concept, one he wasn’t equipped to deal with.

When Sakura had chased him down to confess he had called her out on it. Partly because Naruto knew it was a lie. He had already come to terms with her love for Sasuke. Their mutual love for their runaway team member was the one thing that they shared, even when others failed to understand. And her false confession helped him finally see that his love for her was more like family rather than romantic. 

The other factor was that if he allowed himself to believe that she had returned his feelings after all these years, he would have no idea where to go from there. He saw his relationship with her closer to Ero-Sannin and Baa-Chan’s (somewhat) harmless flirtation and rejection companionship. So he called her a liar and turned her down, figuring it was easier than her bailing him later on when he brought Sasuke back anyway.

When it came to Sasuke, he could never define it the way he wanted to. The other boy ran from anything that resembled vulnerability, and even accepting Naruto’s claim of friendship and brotherhood had been a major feat. If it wasn’t for the whole reincarnation thing and the epic beat-down they had given each other, he would probably still be trying. He had spent years chasing Sasuke. 

At first it was for his approval. Sasuke was the best. He had everything Naruto wanted; strength, respect from their peers, Sakura’s love, and Kakashi-sensei’s attention. It was clear the moody Uchiha was their teacher’s favorite, and Naruto had hated it. Even when the man finally started to train him, a bit of bitterness buried itself in his heart. He didn’t want to think about the possibility that if Sasuke had stayed, Kakashi wouldn’t be spending as much time with him, if any. Kakashi could have taught him the rasengan when he taught Sasuke chidori. He could have shared what happened with Obito too, or the fact that he was his father’s student. It wasn’t in Naruto’s nature to hold onto such things though, and he chose to focus on the positive memories instead.

Later on it was their bond. Sasuke and Naruto had both known pain, loss and loneliness. Without words they understood one another in a way no one else in their generation could. Even if they didn’t know it back then, when they had died and shared their memories with one another it was clear as day. The connection between them was just as strong in this life as it as in the previous ones. The day Sasuke left the village Naruto felt as if he was truly alone. The only person who knew him was gone, and he had to get him back at all costs. 

Then Sasuke had finally relented and asked him what it meant, the blonde was just happy the bastard had accepted that much he gave a half-assed-typical-stubborn-just-because-naru-answer. And it worked. He thanked the gods of blood-loss and exhaustion. 

However, when Hinata had proclaimed her love for him in front of the whole village during Pain’s attack, that had been the worse panic of all. Of course, it had been easy to forget then, she was stomped on by Pain and Kurama took the wheel. Later when he came back to the village after his talk with Nagato he pretended like it never happened. He had no idea how to address something like that, having been starved of love his entire life, and was thankful there were other pressing matters to attend to.

The trip to the moon hadn’t as easy to dismiss. It was right there in his face, his guilt and obliviousness shouting at him to accept. No one had ever loved him as fiercely as this. Her infatuation with him for years was the same as his chasing after the hearts and attention of his team mates. He empathized with her life-long devotion from afar, and soon found himself capable of returning at least some of her feelings. Or at the very least, trying to.

It wasn’t until years later when his chronic absence from their marital bed became evident that it dawned on him that maybe he made the wrong choice. He had tried to love her in the same way she loved him, but failed. He didn’t miss her presence the same way he missed another’s, but those were thoughts he’s rather not dwell on. He made a promise to be with her. They had a family together. Nothing could change that.

Now he was no longer hyperactive. No longer unpredictable or a knucklehead. He was stagnant, a ghost of his former self. His days consisted of a routine that threatened to destroy his spirit with each passing hour. The smiles he offered the villagers and friends as he passed by them were the same as the ones he plastered on as a child. He saw them but never looked at them, afraid they would really see him and at the same time longing for it. 

He was a constant presence, his clones projecting security and familial bonds with his people. But he wasn’t there. He was nowhere. Lost in his mind. Hiding from both exhaustion and his family, whom he loved but had no idea how to engage with. The bonds were too difficult to form, and he was failing. Each day he woke he struggled under the weight of it all. And the only person who could honestly see him was miles away. Sometimes when he closed his eyes he questioned whether or not he was real. The same loneliness that smothered him when he was a child was still there, despite being constantly surrounded by people who claimed to love him.

So when Sakura brought up her theory to him, complete with examples, facts, comparisons and all the evidence she could think of in the several hours she had been seriously contemplating the whole mess, he allowed himself a small amount of hope that she was right. It was still half-baked and in need of investigation yes, but there were enough things to make him consider the possibility. Sakura was still one of the smartest people he knew, and he actually knew her. Even if she was wrong, which there was a strong possibility she was, he had to give it a shot. The two of them had known one another for too long, been through too much to just write her off as temporarily insane. 

Of course if they had shared their thoughts with anyone else, they might have been examined by another medical professional. But this was something the two of them had experienced before. It hadn’t been for this long, and never this real, but if there was a chance then…they would approach the situation cautiously.


	4. A Voice of Reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Counting Bodies Like Sheep-A Perfect Circle

“No.”

“But Sasuke-”

“Absolutely not. Do you two even hear yourselves?”

Sasuke looked at his two former teammates incredulously. Of all the things he had been considering this wasn’t even in the same universe. Really, had he come all the way back to the damn place for this?

“We know it sounds far-fetched-” Sakura interjected.

“No.” He repeated, lacing as much authority as possible in his voice. “Or are you two telling me that the two of you are so unhappy with your lives that you have come up with something so ridiculous to compensate for that?” He glared at both of them, his single fist clenched under his coat.

He had arrived quicker than expected. He had unconsciously opened up his link with Naruto and felt slivers of panic and therefore increased his pace exponentially. Still, arriving in the hokage tower and seeing both Naruto and Sakura in conference with solemn faces had not helped silence his fears. That is, until his wife had grabbed him and stared into his eyes, the usual faint blush on her cheeks as she looked to the blonde and nodded without speaking a word or asking him why he was there.

In fact, neither of them had even commented on his sudden arrival. They had simply stopped speaking at looked at one another, having a private wordless conversation that Sasuke unreasonably felt jealous of, though not sure which of the two he had felt that for. 

Then Naruto had stepped forward and peered into Sasuke’s eyes for a full minute before breathing exaggeratedly and smiling widely, the bizarre occurrence freezing Sasuke in his tracks before he finally remembered himself and asked the question he would immediately regret, what was going on?

Now the two people he cared for most were looking at him with mixtures of guilt and stubbornness. A story about a date gone wrong (again he felt the green bug of jealously but…) and of a theory they had iffy proof of but were somehow convinced had merit. They wanted him to investigate. They wanted his opinion. Had he noticed anything odd in his travels? How much could he remember of the past few years? Was he happy? As if this was something he should even be bothering with considering the recent attack with Momoshiki Otsutsuki and Naruto’s life as well as their entire shinobi world still in danger.

It was absolutely ridiculous.

“That’s enough”. He interrupted their rebuttals and whines with every ounce of control he had. “I understand the two of you are dealing with a lot. Naruto, being hokage isn’t easy. You’re responsible for so many people, and your family…well…I understand you feel guilty about them. But maybe you should consider having a few clones do the paperwork while you, the real you, spend time with them.” 

Naruto had been looking at him intensely but glanced away when his family was mentioned. Sasuke sighed, then turned to his wife and continued.

“Sakura, I know me not being here hasn’t been-”

“Sasuke, please-” she pleaded, but he refused to listen.

“I’m only doing what I have to. What I need to do to help Naruto keep everyone safe. He can’t do this all on his own. I know you understand just as Hinata understands but-”

“Damn it Sasuke you’re not even listening to us!” she cried, grabbing onto him tightly. He turned to look at Naruto who had that familiar look in his eyes. Neither of them was letting this go. Sasuke took another breath and went in another direction.

“The two of you have always been too emotional, and it corrupts your rationality. Look at this logically. This is real. This is life. Real life isn’t a happily ever after that you can just expect perfection out of. There are always sacrifices to be made. Always dark with the light. Look at Naruto’s and my childhood’s if you need proof of that. You’re wrong and you’re wasting time and energy on something meaningless. There are more important things to worry about than imaginary fix-it scenarios. If the two of you are truly that unhappy with your lives, then do something about it. Quit your jobs. Get divorced. I don’t care. Just don’t waste my time with your fantasies and useless worry because I have more important things to do rather than parent you.”

Silence rang throughout the office. Sasuke took a step back from Sakura, who was looking at the ground trying to hide the tears in her eyes. Naruto however was glaring at him unblinkingly. Sasuke met his eyes and spoke once more.

“Sort yourselves out. Do not reach out to me again unless it is serious.”

And then he was gone.


	5. Pay No Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pet-A Perfect Circle

It had been a few hours since the conversation at the tower, and Sasuke was still unreasonably upset. Once again approaching the border, he began to monologue in his brain.

No one was ever truly happy. It just didn’t work that way, and for them to just assume…

Sasuke was doing what he needed to do. What he was meant to do. This past fifteen or so years of his life were dedicated to the redemption of the Uchiha name. To figuring out what the true meaning of “shinobi” was. To Itachi. To truth. To peace.

And now they wanted to discount all of it. All that he had accomplished. The people he had saved. The knowledge he had gained. The memories he had missed forming with his family in pursuit of it all. The pain he endured. The loneliness. The regret. And for what? Just because they were unsatisfied. 

Pausing briefly on a branch, Sasuke ‘tsk’d’ aloud before continuing.

There was always a small voice that had told him Naruto and Sakura would be happier together. Hinata had been too meek for Naruto, and he himself too cold to Sakura. The two bright lights in his life had a stronger connection with one another than with their spouses, having fought together longer and shared more experiences and memories, not to mention their fondness for loudness and attention. It made sense. 

But there had been something else too. Another voice that had told him that even though Naruto had beaten him at the valley, he would not win Sakura too. It was a darker voice, one he no longer wanted to listen to. But he had reasoned that her love for him was stronger than it was for the blonde anyway, and he had promised himself to restore his clan. Who better than someone who was strong enough, loyal enough, and respected enough to withstand the remaining resentment towards him in the village than Sakura? 

And yet he fought against it for some time. Until he received a letter from Naruto mentioning how Sakura compared his journey and current role to that of the Uchiha Police, and his dream of reviving his clan re-emerged to the forefront of his mind.

If his brother, parents, family, and clan had lived, he would be a police officer of Konoha. There was no doubt in his mind about that. It had been his childhood dream before the massacre. To make his father proud, he would have married a respectable kunoichi as well. Though someone like Ino or Hinata would have been out of the question, their clans and bloodlines too strong and therefore not an option. Sakura would have been an acceptable choice, even if she wasn’t an Uchiha, her position as Tsunade’s apprentice would had elevated them both despite her lack of notable lineage.

So he returned to Konoha and began a courtship to the best of his abilities. It hadn’t been difficult, given her well-known life-long obsession with him. The hardest part was allowing himself to physically give in. A life time of holding everyone at a distance in every aspect was not easy to get past. The barrier had taken some time to maneuver around.

Even after all these years though, she embraced his reluctance as playful expressions of love. She treated his withholding of affections as blindly as she always had, and he never contradicted her. Now, in the face of possible divorce, he could not bring himself to mourn the loss. Physically, he had done his duty to the clan. And emotionally he had moved on from the inherit desire to please his father, or in this case his father’s ghost, and was accepting of the probable outcome.

All that mattered was his mission. He needed to keep Konoha safe. To keep the world safe. To keep the blonde moron safe. And he would do all this from the shadows, just as Itachi had. He was a true shinobi, and nothing more. And shinobi endured.

Sasuke had learned the truth years ago. True happiness was a dream. Life was a nightmare to be endured.

He approached a small stream of water just outside of fire country and took a moment to gather himself. He had left Konoha as quickly as he had arrived, not wanting to deal with any confrontations from the dobe or his clones, let alone some random leaf shinobi. The link had been closed as a precaution.

Closing his eyes and sighing softly, Naruto’s eyes were boring into his own. Mismatched eyes snapped open to reveal nothing but peaceful forest. Checking for chakra, Sasuke assured himself he was alone before resuming his reprieve. Dismally he realized the futility of his situation. 

Those damn blue eyes were haunting him.


	6. Keep Your Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Theme: Sweet Dreams-Marilyn Manson
> 
> side note: spring semester started this month and I'm not fit for real life or people. Thank you to everyone who commented and dropped a kudo, you're the only reason I haven't just finished this in my head before sleep.

Kakashi walked through the small village in the Land of Waves, feeling slightly nostalgic as he eyed the Naruto Bridge briefly above his book, when his eyes settled on a familiar scowling form marching through the crowd towards the nearest food vendor. Amused and naturally curious, he immediately suppressed his chakra and followed the man until he came upon a mostly secluded bank near the ocean, munching on some grilled squid and glaring at the gentle waves. 

The white haired man then let his presence be known, appearing suddenly beside the moody man and greeting him with an overly cheery “Yo!” before plopping down beside him and making himself at home. 

His former student barely grunted in acknowledgment and continued eating unperturbed, causing Kakashi to pout slightly. He reminisced on the days when his kawaii little genin would nearly strangle themselves in outburst at his slightest action, turning towards the late afternoon sun lamenting on the days of early sunrise.

“Maah Sasuke, nice day isn’t it?” 

“Hn.”

“That bad huh? Well, I’m always here if-”

“Hn.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you too. I really missed out heart-to-heart talks, cuddle sessions and-”

“What are you talking about Kakashi?”

“Oh, that wasn’t you? My mistake then.” Kakashi smiled innocently and shrugged. 

Humming lowly, he found his place in the little green book where he had left off and the two sat in comfortable silence. It wasn’t until the sun had set and the light from the lanterns had grown too dim to read through did Sasuke finally speak.

And speak he did. 

Honestly, Kakashi had never known Sasuke was even capable of holding a full conversation, let alone a full monologue, in-depth thought and commentary on the content, and the swear words! Did Uchiha even swear? As Sasuke went on, first ranting about Naruto (something Kakashi automatically tuned out after years of experience), then Sakura (half-listening here), then their so-called ridiculous accusations, implications and overall irresponsible behavior because for Kami’s sake they were actually buying into this instead of dealing with their lives, Kakashi found himself mostly listening.

He turned to his student who was indulging in one of those very rare moments where he let his emotions go. Sasuke was livid, which meant he was hurting. Kakashi took a moment to think about everything he had heard, refocusing on the details he had initially dismissed before speaking.

Naruto was a great Hokage, but his own happiness was long forgotten. Kakashi could see the effort and attention he paid towards the villagers far exceeded that of his own household, evident in his son’s spoiled attitude. He could also tell that Naruto felt guilt about this, but was always one to willingly sacrifice his own happiness in order to keep those he cared about happy and safe. It was also no secret that Naruto still held Sasuke on a pedestal, the so-called “Shadow Hokage” being the only person who could match the 7th Hokage in strength. It was even more obvious when it came to his wife Hinata, who was obviously uncomfortable in the Uchiha’s presence, and his son Boruto, who idolized his father’s rival and claimed him as personal sensei.

Sakura was always one whom he took for a background prop. Since the beginning, his focus had been on his sensei’s son and the Uchiha avenger, dismissing the pinkette as a book-smart fangirl who freely bullied his beloved teacher’s spawn. It wasn’t until she had come back from Tsunade’s apprenticeship that he had even acknowledged her. And although her progress paled in comparison to her teammates, he still felt she deserved recognition and happiness from her efforts. She had surprisingly become of some use in the war effort, due to her skills as a medic-nin and chakra infused fists. It had been one of the reasons he had pushed Sasuke towards her in the first place, and after a few years of prodding eventually resulted in the marriage and continuation of the Uchiha clan. He hoped they could both find peace with one another. Yet now to hear she was unhappy with that as well…

Sasuke was another thing entirely. Kakashi could always see a bit of himself in the boy, but never thought they could share more than just a penchant for loss, anger, violence and prodigious talent. As a boy, Kakashi had overlooked Rin’s enamor with him because he himself was dealing with his feelings toward Obito. Feelings that, at the time, were not identifiable by shinobi standards, and therefore ignored. And up until the scene he and Sakura had come upon at the Valley after the war, he had believed this to be the main difference between himself and his student. Yet he chose to deny it. That kind of love was unheard of in the shinobi world, and it would break his one female student’s heart to realize she never had a chance. And even if she had relented, not even Naruto, with all his stubbornness and will of fire, could change that much of their world, breaking the other two’s hearts as well. It was a lost cause.

Now, hearing these particular words phrased in Sasuke’s voice, and the underlying hope, denial and fear, he knew he was wrong. So very and completely wrong. He had screwed up his student’s lives. And even if the other two were wrong about their very strange, very Naruto-ish theory, everything that had happened was still his fault.

He had never been a good teacher. He had never even wanted to be a teacher. The mere thought of growing close to any other person, even Guy who persistently forced his way in, was enough to make Kakashi want to jump headfirst into a pile of paperbombs. So his entire journey as Team 7’s leader had been a struggle of laziness vs survival. The bare minimum, despite having the kyuubi jinchurikee/Namikaze/Uzumaki heir, sole Uchiha survivor/heir and a considerably weak love-sick girl in his charge, was all he could muster. And although they had survived, he had still failed them.

Kakashi took a deep breath, and focus his eyes on the sparkling sea before them. Sasuke had finished speaking for a few minutes now, his breath calming further with each wave that gently crashed at their feet.

The two men sat in silence for a while longer before Kakashi finally spoke.

“Start again, from the very beginning.”

Sasuke shot him an annoyed look before huffing and turning towards the water, and in an obviously annoyed tone began speaking. “I showed up to the Tower and-”

“No.” Kakashi interrupted, once again earning him a spiteful look from his conversation companion, the notion of which made Kakashi grin slightly. He was all too gleeful of the fact he was actually having a real conversation with his most un-cooperative un-talkative anti-social supposed to be genius but incredibly oblivious student. “Start from the beginning.”

Sasuke paused, arching a brow in inquisition. “As in…?”

Kakashi smiled and leaned back on his hands, book still thumbed open. “As in, where your journey really began. As in your first day as a shinobi. Tell me everything from there, til now.”

His eyes never left that of his former student’s lone visible one. It was funny how things turned out. He could see the subtle emotions play on the raven’s features, from confusion, to frustration, to acquiescence. And then, when Sasuke began to speak, Kakashi paid attention. Real attention. The same kind he should have been since that same day. 

Kakashi listened.


	7. I Can Still Help You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toes-Glass Animals

He heard Hinata’s soft moans above encouraging him to continue with his ministrations. He spread her lips with his bandaged hand and increased the speed of his tongue laps, focusing on the pearl with gentle pressure. Two fingers thrusted rhythmically inside her, and he could feel the tremors of her impending release. He knew if he glanced up he would see her soft breasts bouncing slightly, but instead he kept his eyes closed. He needed to concentrate. Pleasing her had never been an arduous task, but it was still something Naruto struggled with internally. She was herself, the perfect wife and mother. Doting on her family, firm yet meek, and always so full of love. He had been nervous when they first got married. He never had a family of his own, and his brief experience with his parents had left him only with longing. He didn’t know his place in a family, how to act, how to anything. But she was kind, and gentle, and everything he ever could have dreamed. 

Now, settled between her trembling thighs as her gentle moans filled the room, Naruto’s thoughts continued to drift. Maybe she was too perfect? If Sakura was right, then it really was all too good to be true. An accomplished multi-tasker, Naruto began to suck and nibble on her clit, adding a finger and increasing his speed slightly. She was close. He thought about testing her, but then if Sakura was wrong then that would only mean he was cruel. No, he didn’t deserve her. She was too good for him if he was even considering this. The guilt ate at him while he ate his wife. He curled his fingers and squeezed her ass cheek with his free hand and she screamed her trademark “Naruto-kun” in pleasure. Her body rocking with the aftershocks as Naruto continued to lap gently at her pulsing bead until her hand made its way to his head, cupping his face. He smiled brightly and let her lead him into a gentle kiss, she was always so tentative when it came to their sex life. He felt no pressure to perform, and yet he always did well.

He picked her up and brought her to the bath the clone had prepared beforehand, laying her down in the tub and kissing her gently on the head. She blushed and made to grab his hand, she wanted him to stay but he couldn’t. She smiled and told him she loved him, and he returned the sentiment before shutting the door behind him and poofing away.

The memories of the dissipated clone came flooding into Naruto’s brain as he sat at the Hokage desk. Sakura was sitting in front of him discussing some medical procedure and he flushed. 

“What is it?” she asked innocently. They had been around one another long enough that she knew exactly what it was. A feeling stirred inside her and she ignored it.

“Uh…nothing Sakura-chan! Continue with the uh…uh…” he was embarrassed and yet he couldn’t concentrate. It wasn’t the sex part that had his attention though.

“Mmm hmm. Would you like a moment with your thoughts, Hokage-Sama?” Sakura’s sweet tone mocking him. He shot her a weak glare and then laughed.

“Actually, I think I need your help with something.”

“You know Naruto, I don’t think you should be discussing those types of th-”

He waved his hands frantically and shook his head. “No no no Sakura-chan! You have it all wrong! That’s not what I meant!” A look of panic on his face.

She sighed and placed a hand on her hip. “Alight then, what is it? But I’m warning you I’m not going to give you any advice on how to please your wife. If you need help with that go ask Kakashi-sensei or something.” She said bitingly. 

Naruto was confused. What the hell was she so angry about? Maybe she thought he was being insensitive because Sasuke was away. Their last encounter with him had been rough, but since then they had decided to try and take his advice. After the scolding, they thought maybe they were being to rash. He was afraid that if Sasuke was right then he would ruin everything. So Naruto had left the clone in sometimes and tried to spend some time with his family, and it worked fine he guessed. But his gut was telling him something was off, and the feeling was growing every day. And it "tales of a Gutsy Ninja" had taught him anything, it was to trust his guts. Literally.

As for Sakura, she still couldn’t work things out completely. She enjoyed her job, she loved her daughter, but she didn’t miss Sasuke the same way she thought she would. In fact, she often found herself seeking out and thinking about another. And, in evaluating what parts of her life she could remember, it seemed her thoughts and feelings toward that person ran a little deeper than originally thought. It was odd, she had never expected to feel these types of feelings towards anyone other than Sasuke. But now, in the wake of her revelation, which she was sure was real, she had been re-evaluating everything almost constantly. Naruto had been shamed enough to give-in, but Sakura wasn’t willing to give up yet. She knew something was wrong, and she was going to prove it no matter what.

“I think…” he began, uncertainty marring his features. “I think I want to give Hinata a test.” He said.

Sakura was intrigued. Maybe there was hope of fixing this after all! “What kind of test?” she asked carefully.

 

Kakashi and Sasuke were making their way carefully though the Land of Iron. Even after the war and the peace treaties were signed, what they were doing still wasn’t exactly legal. Staying hidden and moving quickly, they continued to make their way through the long forgotten path.

Decades ago, Kakashi had made this journey alone on his way back from his last Anbu mission. It was after he had lost everything, and when he returned the Third retired him to Jonin. The path was just as he had remembered it, save for a few discrepancies here and there. He hadn’t told Sasuke what to expect when they got there, wanting to the test to be unbiased as possible.

They arrived a few hours later at the mountain. Kakashi feigned not remembering where the entrance was, partly just to annoy his companion. Sasuke found it, and Kakashi let him go first, wishing to observe.

The cave was dark and cold. Sasuke summoned fire in his hand and they made their way through the twists and shadows. Millions of tiny sparkles in the cave walls reflected and bounced light off of them, making the narrow and uncomfortable trek somewhat ethereal. They followed the twisty sloping path until they came upon a large heavy stone engraved with the Hatake clan symbol on the lower right hand corner. Sasuke raised a brow and Kakashi maneuvered himself past his former-pupil to place a hand over the symbol, adding a small amount to chakra. The stone glowed and sank into the ground soundlessly.

“Impressive.”

“Mah, Sasuke-kun, you haven’t even been inside yet!”

Kakashi bowed and swept out a hand, meaning for Sasuke to go ahead. With a grunt he did and following behind Kakashi focused on his companions face as he took in the scene before him.

The room was large and rounded. Large aqua colored crystals glowed naturally, providing enough light for Sasuke to extinguish the flame in his hand. Small breezes came through the four cracks in the wall, one in each “corner”, colliding in the center to form a small never-ending cyclone. The room was covered in an elaborate seal that began in the center where the cyclone was and spread out to cover the walls and ceiling. 

Sasuke walked around the room evaluating everything with a critical eye before speaking. “It’s an advanced form of a five-elemental seal.”

“Very good Sasuke-kun.”

“How?”

“What do you mean how?”

“You can’t use the wind element. How did you do it?”

“I didn’t.”

“…”

“My father did.”

Sasuke shot him a look and glanced around the room again. Sakumo Hatake was said to be even stronger than the legendary Sannin. He moved his hair and used both eyes to observe the room again. 

“I tried to open it the last time I came, hoping to mimic the wind element. It failed, obviously.”

“Hn.” Sasuke made a familiar hand sign and created four shadow clones. Each one walked to a corner and the original moved to the center. Kakashi moved back to the entrance of the room and braced himself in the doorway.

As one, all five Sasuke’s slammed a hand covered in powerful elemental chakra. Fire to the east, water to the west, earth north and lightning south. In the center, wind. The room rumbled and chakra flared wildly for a brief moment before the clones were popped and Sasuke was left panting in the middle. A small box appeared on the floor where the cyclone had been. Kakashi walked over and placed a hand on his head.

“Well done, Sasuke.”

Sasuke looked up at him from where he had knelt. As much as he hated it, these moments were the ones that made Sasuke feel like Kakashi was actually family to him. The approval of this sensei was something he had craved as a boy as much as he had craved his father and brother’s approval. Kakashi was the only person left who fulfilled that role for him, even though his mocking ‘sasuke-kuns’, perverted tendencies and laziness irked him. 

Their talk several days ago in the Land of Waves had been eye opening for both of them. Sasuke ended up sharing almost everything about his life, going further back than he had originally intended. In return, Kakashi had shared his own life’s story as well. It was surprising to learn how similar his sensei had been to him growing up, and he couldn’t help but feel some resentment towards him for not sharing all this sooner. But no sooner had he felt it when Kakashi apologized. The man had been wallowing in self-pity for decades. He saw the signs, but didn’t help as much as he could. And now he wanted to make up for that. He would fix his student’s lives if it was the last thing he did, because he owed it to them for failing them. Sasuke had been stunned by the declaration, and could only nod.

What was even more shocking was Kakashi’s confession concerning Obito. The love triangle between his teacher’s team had been so similar to that of his own, but Sasuke was determined to reveal nothing. He had given Naruto plenty of chances to reveal his feelings towards him as more than friendship, but Naruto had been adamant. They were friends, nothing more. It had brought tears to his eyes that Naruto would never return his feelings in that way, but he pushed it down. If friendship was all he would get, that’s what would take.

When he left the village he had hoped Naruto would come with him. The journey would give them a chance to spend time together, alone away from everyone else and their expectations. Unfortunately, Sakura was the one who offered, when Naruto had sworn to stay by his side. His bitterness increased when Naruto suddenly announced he was getting married to the Hyuuga girl. How could he marry his stalker? She was nowhere strong enough to stand by his side, so why her? And to top it all off, the wedding was held on Sakura’s birthday. Even he was not that cold.

Kakashi had offered him hope though to fix everything. To live in happiness instead of self-induced exile and loneliness. It was a test. And the answer to whether Naruto and Sakura’s half-baked theory was right or not was in that box.

Sasuke picked up the box and stood, handing it to Kakashi. They held one another’s gaze for a few heart beats before Kakashi bit his thumb and smeared blood across the box. Intricately the slots moved and the box opened. They looked inside and released the breaths neither had known they were holding.


	8. Can You Feel It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In The Air Tonight-In This Moment (cover)

The test was simple enough, and the results were undeniable. The theoretical was proven. The question now, how did they fix this?

Kakashi and Sasuke stood for what seemed like an eternity, staring inside the box, contemplating everything they thought they knew and didn’t. 

“Contact Naruto. We need to meet up with him and Sakura as soon as possible.” Kakashi stated, eyes still on the box.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed at the thing in Kakashi’s hand. He wasn’t ready emotionally to deal with either one of them right now, but it had to be done. If that meant he had to apologize then so be it. There were more important things at stake here, namely their lives. He opened his link and in an unfamiliar practice reached out to the blonde. 

 

Naruto jolted out of his chair, scaring Sakura half to death. His mind was suddenly assaulted with images and feelings from Sasuke, while his face went from shades of pink, to bright red, to deathly white. He concentrated his chakra to relay a simple message before closing the link and sagging into the chair.

Sakura had run up to him and was trying to examine him. They had been in the middle of discussing the test for Hinata, and they were both finding it to be a rather uncomfortable subject. While they were both reluctant to testing her period, the actual idea for the test would put them both in an awkward situation. Idly, Sakura wondered if Naruto, in his odd wisdom that had come with his age and title, had figured out her secret. And if so, was his weird ass-backwards way of trying to tell her he was ok with it? But then all of the sudden he had freaked out in his chair and she was wondering if Hinata had somehow heard them and was going to kill them both.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto suddenly came back to life and screamed in her face. Before she could punch him he jumped up and grabbed her arms. “They did it! Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke! They found proof! We were right!”

“What? What proof? What are you talking about? And how does Kakashi-sensei even know about this? And how do we know he’s not-”

“Sasuke showed me! He met up with Kakashi-sensei and they talked about things…and…” Naruto turned bright red again. He didn’t think Sasuke meant to show him all the things he did, but it was too late. Sasuke’s inexperience with initiating the link and sharing thoughts had showed when the floodgates opened. And damn if Naruto hadn’t felt like an idiot for never noticing how Sasuke felt before. But he didn’t want to bring that up in front of Sakura, not until he had a chance to figure things out for himself and even then they had bigger fish to fry, like how to fix this. That brought him back to his conversation. He laughed awkwardly and rubbed a hand on the back of his head. 

“Well, you see, I guess the bastard confirmed Kakashi somehow and they talked and I guess Sas really did notice a lot of weird things he just hadn’t noticed before you know and Kakashi had noticed-but-not-noticed lots of weirds things too and then they went on like a secret mission or something to get proof and they found it and now we gotta go meet up with them so we can figure the rest of this out and yeah.” He finished lamely.

She stood there a moment before it finally hit her. She was right! Yes! That meant there was still time to-

-Oh no. Kami. She was right. 

“Naruto! How the hell are we going to fix this?!” she screamed.

Naruto looked just as panicked. “I don’t know! But Sasuke is kind of freaking out too. His chakra was all over the place. From what I could understand, he and Kakashi seem to think we don’t have a lot of time left before it’s too late.”

“We need to go now then.” She looked around the office and out the window into the village. “We shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. Can you leave a bunshin here?”

The blonde nodded and made two, dispatching one to his home to inform Hinata he was leaving on a mission for the old Team 7. It was meant to sound light, as if they were all hit by a wave of nostalgia and Kakashi wanted to have a few days retreat. Hinata would look after Sarada while they were gone, and in a few days the four of them would return. Sakura was right, no unnecessary risks. They didn’t know what they could trigger. 

The second bunshin went for supplies. It would be a few days travel to where they were meeting up with the other two, and they didn’t know how long they would be once they were there. Sakura left to gather medical supplies and to inform Sarada she was leaving. Naruto called in Shikamaru and placed him in charge before asking him to keep Konohamaru’s team busy as possible. He didn’t want to risk the kids coming after them again. Shikamaru, as expected, was not happy with being stuck with the extra work, but was happy Naruto would be taking some semblance of a vacation. Even if it was with his dysfunctional team. 

An hour later the two friends were out of the gates and heading off in the direction of their comrades. Naruto was having an inner debate with himself about everything he had learned. He knew now what he had felt with Sasuke was more than just friendship. It was always stronger than that, but he never knew how to sort those feelings out. Then they were reflected on him, and it had been so messy and unorganized that Naruto wasn’t even sure it was Sasuke who he was seeing. But in all that chaos, a word had formed over and over that filled Naruto with a radiating warmth that brought him comfort on a level he had never known before. Love. It was love. He was in love with Sasuke, his best friend. And his best friend Sasuke was in love with him. And in all the chaos and messiness there was one idea blooming underneath that had Naruto’s heart beating in his chest in an untamable manner. 

Hope. It was hope. Sakura hadn’t felt hope in such a long time, she had almost forgotten what it was like. There were things about her life that she loved. Her job, her daughter, her friends. But there was always an innate sense of wrongness that occurred that had her feeling like something was off. Now, in the midst of their revelation proved truth she had hope. And it was that precious commodity that pressed her forward to their destination with a vigor she hadn’t felt in years.

 

Sasuke Uchiha was not freaking out. He was calm, cool, and collected. He was in no way panicking. Not at all. 

Lies.

As soon as he had felt Naruto’s chakra open up to him he lost it. There was a simple message to convey, something along the lines of “hey dobe you and Sakura were correct come meet with Kakashi and I and we’ll figure this out together”. He tried to organize his thoughts in a nice and orderly fashion but then he got lost in the warmth of Naruto’s chakra and how happy it made him feel and the possibility that he had time to fix things between them too now and then he ended up showing him everything and it was a complete disaster. A complete and utter failure. 

Naruto had seen everything. EVERYTHING. Every time Sasuke’s eyes lingered a bit too long. Every time Sasuke pined after him. Every moment of unbridled jealousy controlled in typical Uchiha fashion. And every time he instigated an argument just to get his attention off Sakura and onto him. The kiss he stole at the Valley of the End before he left. When, at their reunion at Orochimaru’s hideout, Sasuke put him arm around Naruto and actually breathed him in like a man starved of oxygen. The rejection he felt when he realized Sai replaced him. When Naruto still chose Sakura. When he announced his marriage to Hinata. The truth behind the need to eliminate him because Naruto was his ultimate weakness. The only person he ever truly loved other than his brother, but Sasuke could never see Naruto as his brother. He was more than that. He was everything. And now Naruto knew.

But it wasn’t only the blatant nudity of Sasuke’s soul that had been laid bare for Naruto to see in its entirety that had him panicking. No, if it was simple as humiliation, he could bear it. After all, he had supposedly lived over a decade enduring hatred and humiliation in all forms from people all over the country. No, this was much worse. Because while Sasuke was busy being helpless to control the onslaught of vulnerability that was pouring out him, Naruto had subconsciously returned the favor. An equal exchange of equally embarrassing truths, if you will.

And somehow, Naruto had returned his feelings, his longing, his pain. His love. Their love? What were they supposed to do now? Kakashi never said, and Sasuke never dared to hope. And what about Sakura? He didn’t want to lose her as a friend, and she would be hurt and angry with both of them. But she wasn’t happy either, right? So maybe she wouldn’t hate them?

Sasuke was so consumed by his thoughts that he barely registered it when Kakashi motioned for them to leave the cave. They were traveling with a renewed sense of urgency. Kakashi was busy trying to figure out how they were going to get out of this. Of course, his main goal was to give his kawaii little students the happy ending they deserved. But also, if Naruto and Sakura’s secondary theory was correct, then Kakashi’s own happy ending was also still a possibility. He was almost too afraid to consider it, having accepted its loss so long ago. Still, he hoped…


	9. My Whole Existence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Closer-Nine Inch Nails (Although I listened to In This Moment's cover too so either works)
> 
> Warning-straight up smut <3  
> Conclusion next chapter, sorry it's taking so long but I really want it to be good!  
> Epilogue later if anyone wants it~
> 
> Special thanks to everyone who commented and dropped kudos, you guys are the best!  
> and huuuuge shout out to Caspancakes and Ayyyy (thatanimelover) for your continued support <3

Naruto Uzumaki was many things, but subtle was not one of them.

So when Sakura and Naruto arrived and the orange blur immediately tackled Sasuke to the ground and shoved his tongue down the other man’s throat, Kakashi wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Sakura however, definitely was. 

“Naruto! Get off of my husband!!” She screamed and went to pull her best friend off but before she could get there Kakashi thought it best to intervene before things got out of hand. 

Kakashi appeared before the irate woman and with as much calm as he could muster, because he definitely wanted to live more than he wanted to laugh, placed his hands on her shoulders and blocked her view. “Sakura, let’s talk in private.”

 

The pink haired woman was red faced and angry beyond all measure but she heard the tone in her sensei’s voice and decided to listen. After all, Sasuke wasn’t really her husband, and even she could see that the love between her two teammates was nothing compared to what they felt for her, reality or not. That was one thing she had always known, but chose to be blind to because really, she wanted to be Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha her whole life, and she’d have been a fool to pass it up. 

She sighed and sent one last angry glare two the two men who were now flushed but holding onto one another like their lives depended on it and the last of her anger dissipated. She turned around without a word and jumped off in the opposite direction, tears leaking along the way.

 

“Don’t worry about Sakura, she’ll be fine. We’ll go and set up camp. You two find us when you’re done getting…reacquainted.” Kakashi winked and left in a flurry of leaves, leaving the two men to themselves.

 

Sasuke wasted no time. As soon as Kakashi left he grabbed Naruto by the shirt and pulled him back in for a kiss. Naruto brought his hands to the other’s hair and moaned, sending shivers down the raven’s spine. A fire ignited in both of them, and it was if all the sudden Sasuke couldn’t get enough of the blond laying on top of him.

He roughly grabbed Naruto by the hip and flipped their positions, ravishing his mouth and tearing off his Hokage robe and shirt with his one hand. Tan hands hurriedly undid his coat and vest, ripping off his shirt without breaking the kiss.

He could feel how hard Naruto was beneath him, his length pulsating between the fabric of their pants between them. Sasuke pushed himself up on his knees and began laying a trail of hickies down the blonde’s throat to his chest, paying special attention to his pulse point and nipples.

The blond tasted better than anything he’d ever imagined. The salty sweat mixing with whatever soap and a smell like fresh oranges and grass. He felt the warmth of the other’s body, the sound of his labored breathing intertwined with small moans and a steady heartbeat. 

 

Naruto was coming undone. The attention Sasuke was ravishing him with on the forest floor was better than anything he’d known in his entire life. He found himself chanting his best friend’s name in a raspy whisper that only seemed to egg the other man on. His hands gripped Sasuke’s head with need as the other man dipped lower towards his painful erection.

Blue eyes opened wide with a gasp as the cool air of the forest hit his bare cock. A dark chuckle made it twitch as his eyes latched on to mismatched ones. His eyes roamed lower when he noticed that Sasuke had somehow rid himself of his pants as well and was leaning above him in all his naked glory. Strong, pale, scarred, and beautiful.

Sasuke’s hand caressed his face with more gentleness than Naruto had believed possible of the Uchiha. A thumb traced his whiskers, his lips, his jaw. “Beautiful.” Sasuke whispered. Naruto’s eyes snapped up, his face was flushed and he had no idea when he became so bashful around his best fucking friend but…oh…that’s right. He’s about to fuck his friend, or get fucked by him. At this point he didn’t care which it was as long as they were connected.

“Sasuke…” he whispered, and brought the man in for another kiss. Their cocks were both leaking now, brushing against each other when Sasuke’s body was pressed against his own. Sasuke groaned low in his throat and Naruto thrust his hips up, sparks lighting up his core.

Naruto lovingly trailed his hands down his soon to be lover’s body. When he reached the round hard globes of Sasuke’s ass, the other growled and ground himself harder into him, causing Naruto to arch and moan loudly.

“Dobe. Who said you’d get to be on top?” Sasuke asked, raising himself with one arm next to the blonde’s head.

Naruto grinned and bucked up again. “You wanna fight me for it, Teme?”

 

Sasuke couldn’t help but smirk. This was one of the reasons he fell in love with this moron. He never backed down, never gave into Sasuke like anyone else had. Of course he’d be a challenging lover as well. 

And there was no longer any point in denying it anymore. That mishap with the sage-link had taken away any chance of that. Sasuke loved this orange idiot, and the idiot loved him back.

He swooped down and pulled ninja wire out of his mouth, restraining his lovers hands with such ease and quickness that Naruto didn’t have time to react. He reached down and gripped Naruto’s tan cock in his hand and rubbed the pre-cum up and down his length, eliciting deep moans from both of them.

Naruto could have easily broken the wire, they both knew this, but Sasuke only meant it as a distraction anyway. They’d have all their lives, Kami willing, to fight and fuck as much as they wanted. But right now, they needed this. To feel this connection, even if this wasn’t real, they both wanted it.

He didn’t know when their links had opened up, maybe sometime after the initial kiss, but that didn’t matter. He could feel Naruto’s thoughts and knew that the blond didn’t care which one of them did what as long as they did it. Sasuke agreed.

So he made his decision based on what he felt would tell Naruto how much he loved him. How much he was willing to sacrifice. How much he trusted him. How he wanted to be his, and his alone. He stopped stroking the blonde’s member and reached his hand around to prepare himself when tan hands stopped him. 

Mangekyo and rinnegan snapped to bright blue eyes focused and clouded with lust. The silence around them was only disrupted by birds chirping and the sounds of their heavy panting.

Naruto drew his knees up, feel planted on the forest floor. Sasuke, still kneeling before him, couldn’t help when his eyes widened.

“Naruto…”

“I’m sure Sasuke. You don’t need to prove anything to me, I already know.”

Sasuke hesitated another moment, before remembering certain aspects of Naruto’s life. The beautiful boy in front of him had grown up without love, without touch. Sasuke’s touches had always been rough because of their fighting and training, but they had eventually been the one’s they’d both craved the most. 

Hinata loved him, he knew that. Shit, the entire village knew that. And no matter how jealous it made him, he could admit that too now, he also took solace in the fact that someone was giving Naruto to love and compassion he deserved. 

But Naruto wasn’t choosing Hinata to love him. He was choosing Sasuke. And Sasuke, who had believed that he wasn’t capable of giving that kind of love to anyone since Itachi, wanted nothing more than to prove himself wrong.

 

Sasuke smiled, and it was genuine and pure and every bit as breath taking as Naruto believed it could be. When the raven undid the ninja wire and came in for another kiss, Naruto didn’t hesitate to relay how much he loved the other man.

Gently a slick finger circled his rim. He tensed automatically but willed himself to relax. Sasuke’s kisses were calming, and Naruto’s hands once again found themselves tangled in dark tresses.

He had no idea when the third finger entered him, let alone the second. He had been lost in the bliss of making out with his long time love that he barely registered Sasuke had coated his hands with chakra to ease the pain of being stretched. When a certain spot was hit, he moaned so loud Sasuke broke the kiss and leaned up to smirk at him.

“Ba…bastard..unhh”

“Naruto…”

Kami he loved the way the bastard said his name. Sasuke kept hitting that spot, fucking him with his fingers rhythmically while grinding their cocks together, their pre-cum mixing and making it easier to slide against one another. He could feel Sasuke watching him carefully, eyes heavy with lust and love as Naruto lost the last of his control, crying out his lover’s name while hot bursts of cum coated their stomachs.

 

Sasuke made a strained noise as he gently removed his fingers and gripped the base of his dick. He didn’t want to come just yet. He allowed Naruto to pull him in for another kiss, fighting the urge to make take him and fuck him hard into the earth. Thoughts began to flood him, of Naruto fucking him with clones and holding him down with his chakra chains. Thoughts of fucking Naruto while he was in Kyuubi sage mode and filling him up. Fucking with their chakra at max, bodies heavy, bruised and bloody after an epic sparring match. Perhaps after another battle like at the valley, but real, with all their powers used, winner takes the other.

“Sasuke…” a whimper below him breaks his day dreams. “Please, don’t make me wait anymore. We can still do all that later though, I promise.” The raven raised an eyebrow and looked down to see Naruto’s erection back in full force. With a blush he realized that the link had enabled Naruto too see all the dirty thoughts he just had. Thoughts that apparently, Naruto agreed with, or perhaps were some of his to begin with.

He bent down to lay another kiss on swollen pink lips. “I’ll hold you to that, usuratonkachi” he whispered as he guided his aching member into Naruto. The jinchuuriki moaned with him as he made his way in, stopping only when he felt himself completely inside. 

 

They took a moment, panting and staring into one another’s eyes, overwhelmed by the feelings their connection allowed them to experience. Filling while being filled. Loving while being loved. 

Wordlessly, because at this point they no longer needed them, Sasuke began to move. Slowly, with Naruto raising his hips to meet his thrusts, tan hands feeling and caressing the pale body above him.

Their pace increased, and with it their pants, moans and broken whispers of each other’s names. It was familiar and new and so good that neither of them wanted it to end, trying to prolong their release while still enjoying this connection.

 

Naruto flipped them over again and started riding the raven harder, head thrown back in ecstasy. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he thrust up, his hand gripping Naruto’s hip tightly. Even in the submission position the blond was taking control, riding Sasuke like he owned him, and the raven loved it. Seeing the hokage like this, raw and sweaty and completely his, it awakened something primal within him. He growled, feeling possessive, and flipped them again, driving deep into Naruto without losing the established rhythm. 

“Sas…I’m…I’m close…” Naruto breathed into his lovers’ ear, the raspyness making it harder for Sasuke to concentrate. Kami, how did he never notice how sexy his voice sounded. Especially when it was his name being vocalized.

Sasuke angled himself once again to hit Naruto’s sweet spot, pounding and gripping the back of the blonde’s neck and shoving his tongue down his throat. Naruto came hard and broke this kiss to moan his name. Sasuke lasted exactly three uneven thrusts more before he buried himself in as deep as he could and released himself, moaning Naruto’s name in return.

They laid there for a while, holding onto one another and still connected both physically and mentally. The birds continued to chirp around them. A few miles off they could feel the chakra signatures of Kakashi and Sakura, but no one else seemed to exist for them.

Right now, it was only Naruto and Sasuke.


	10. Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parabol/Parabola-Tool
> 
> Here's the end, hope it doesn't disappoint!  
> Possible epilogue with time skip as an accompaniment/second work in this "dreams" series later ~

Nothing made sense anymore.

Sakura was sitting in a daze as Kakashi explained the very complicated relationship issues and stunted emotional growth problem her entire team suffered from, herself included. During which, she mentally calculated how long the two males had really been infatuated with one another and how she had truly been so blind to it all.

Naruto was always chasing after Sasuke, literally. He wanted the raven’s approval and attention more than anyone else in the village. And Sasuke was always leading him on, giving him just a small bite to had the blonde fighting for more. And they both reveled in it. Their union was, if anything, the most logical conclusion to their story. She tried to reason with herself, but a part of her felt like it had been ripped away, chewed up and spit out. She felt raw. Hurt. 

And she…she had her own epitome then. She wasn’t in love with Sasuke, she was in love with the idea of him. Or at least partly. There was always one person who took her attention away from him, one person who her eyes never failed to spot in a crowd, one person who she herself chased after the approval and attention of. Her bright green eyes widened in realization, blushing with embarrassment, fear, nervousness, acceptance.

She was in love with her best friend.

Ino Yamanaka.

She had always admired the other girl, or woman really now she should say. Ino was always kind, strong and so beautiful. Sakura could admit, if only to herself, that she found herself physically attracted to women in her recent years. However, she did blame it on being so lonely in the bedroom and unable to see other men in an attractive light other than her husband-not-husband. She even found her gaze lingering on Hinata a few times in the past (the fear of Naruto noticing and berating her in his office the other day now seemed silly considering what he and Sasuke were probably getting up to out there), though she didn’t quite feel the same stirring in her loins as she did with Ino.

She was hit with a sudden burst of inspiration. If Naruto and Sasuke could be happy with one another, she could be happy with her own precious person too. And come hell or high water, Sakura would grab that beautiful blonde woman the first moment she saw her and kiss the hell out of her like Naruto had kissed Sasuke because she spent over a lifetime pining after the woman and didn’t even know it. She just hoped she had the bravery to go through with it.

She smiled then, serene and for the first time in longer than she could remember, content.

Who was she kidding? She was Sakura Haruno, student of Tsunade Senju, the Godaime, and the strongest kunoichi in her class. Of course she had the courage. There was no doubt that the gorgeous blonde would definitely be hers.

 

Kakashi tried to break the news as easy as possible to his lone female student. He could see the grief and rejection playing out on her face as plain as day. But he hoped to use the situation to their advantage and try to help her see that this wasn’t the end of the world per say, but a golden opportunity. They key word here being golden.

He had to be a bit subtler with her, he couldn’t approach this head on like he had with Sasuke who needed to be hit repeatedly with a big orange sign that spelled things out in clear precise words that left no room for misunderstanding or questions so that the boy would get that he was in love with the unpredictable blonde he claimed to barely tolerate. No, this required more tact. Sakura, for all her obliviousness, was intelligent and liked to figure things out on her own because it gave her an immense deal of satisfaction.

So when he saw the emotions flicker from bad to mild to good to oh shit that Yamanaka girl has no idea what’s coming for her, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He knew then that all his students would be ok, considering that they’d need to leave here first.

 

They returned to an odd scene. Sakura was sitting by the fire looking like she was plotting something epic and insane inside her head, and Kakashi was hanging upside down from a tree reading Icha Icha Violence and giggling. 

Naruto exchanged a nervous glance with Sasuke who seemed to be just as unnerved and the former cleared his throat gaining the attention of their two very off-putting companions.

“So…uh…you guy’s ready to talk?”

Sakura looked up and blushed heavily before standing and coming over to them. They stood a bit straighter, bracing themselves for impact when she reached out and drew them both in for a hug.

“I’m happy for you too. Just know that if either of you break the other one’s heart I’ll be there to kick your ass without prejudice, ok?”

Naruto laughed with relief and embraced her tightly. He had been afraid she would hate him, or hate Sasuke, or think that they hurt her on purpose, or worse that she would just punch them until they died slow horrible painful deaths which would be well deserved. “I don’t plan on it Sakura-chan but I accept your terms nonetheless!” 

He heard Sasuke whisper thank you in her other ear and the three stood there a few moments longer before Kakashi coughed from above them. Three heads turned up and he cocked his head and smiled. “What I really think is important to know is…who topped first?”

 

The four sat in silence for a long time, trying to wrap their heads around the situation. 

Naruto had gone into Six Path Sage mode and Sasuke had meditated with him calling upon his own half of the Sage of the Six Path’s power while joined in hands, opening their link completely and drawing on their chakra from its deepest depths. It had taken a couple hours, but in the end they saw the truth.

And it was a bit frightening.

There were so many signs. Things that didn’t make sense but they accepted or overlooked because they had been too arrogant or too hopeful.

They were trapped.

When Madara cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, they thought they were safe. Sasuke’s Susanoo had kept the light from penetrating, and they waited it out until the jutsu had been cast, then attacked him.

The problem was, his Susanoo didn’t protect them completely.

They were all under, but together. The tree hadn’t been able to take them because the Susanoo was still active, which was why his eyes were hurting, the rinnegan more noticeably so. The shield was acting like a binding agent, keeping their souls together when they were transferred and their real bodies protected. The kyuubi and other tailed beasts that were within Naruto were protected from the light inside him and were channeling their chakra into Sasuke to keep the Susanoo going, all the while desperately screaming at the blonde to wake up.

They were fading, but that wasn’t the worst of it.

And that came from the revisited discussion about Naruto and Sakura’s previous experience with the tsukuyomi. In that other place, they both had what they desired most. Naruto had his parents, while Sakura had her independence and respect. The anomalies were the most telling part though, as with another Naruto named Menma who was dark and powerful in the way Naruto had both wished and feared he would be, something he dealt with while training with Killer B at the waterfall of truth. Ino was meek, which empowered Sakura to be protective over her in the way she had desired since the blonde girl had always played that role for her (Sasuke had been a bit shocked about Sakura’s proclamation of love for the girl, but then he took a minute to think about it and it made perfect sense, though he was mildly offended they used and tortured him in their “love rivalry” to hide dealing with their feelings for years). The other Sakura was also accidentally transported to their world, probably due to an error in Obito’s casting of the jutsu.

The Hinata there was fierce, which Naruto admitted was a secret desire to have the girl finally speak to him at an audible volume without stuttering (Sasuke frowned at this, feeling slightly jealous and possessive over his blonde, the purple haired kunoichi had been his wife, after a fashion). And all their other friends were odd opposites as well. Neji and Lee were perverts (amusing), Sai was a terrible artist (ha!), and Kiba was into cats? The other Sasuke was the worst of them all, but most revealing. Sakura had craved his romantic attention, and got it. Naruto wanted Sasuke to be open and part of their group but still himself, aka a jerk, and got it too. The result was a flirty playboy that Sasuke had been extremely offended by his very existence. And that’s where things got weird, because that place they had been sent was really did exist, so somewhere out there was a version of him that was handing out roses and Kami knows what else.

Which meant that while this wasn’t their reality, it was still a reality. This wasn’t a dream world and the infinite tsukuyomi wasn’t a genjutsu at all. Either Madara or Obito translated it wrong, or the use of the more powerful dojutsu than the Mangekyo made it something completely different from the regular tsukuyomi that Itachi had used on him and Kakashi, which was itself a repeating loop of a reality Itachi had created. The limited version was an on-going experience, and should have been their first hint that the two were completely different jutsus.

The Infinite Tsukuyomi was cast with a nine tailed beast powered Rinne Sharingan, the same power Sasuke now held as well as Madara and Kaguya. Although, the power to shift between dimensions had only been used by him and the Rabbit Goddess knowingly. With the Infinite Tsukuyomi, their physical bodies were trapped in their own world, their souls sent to a dimension that fit their surface desires as close as possible, hitchhiking on their counterpart’s bodies and living like parasites while the original consciousness was suppressed. It made their physical bodies lifeless vegetables, generating chakra but not utilizing it to sustain itself since the soul was elsewhere. Like an electric utility plugged in but not turned on. 

It’s the reason why everyone’s eyes looked hollow to them, the dominant souls did not belong to this world and therefore did not recognize the others. 

When the limited tsukuyomi had been cast on Naruto and Sakura previously, their actual bodies had been transported because it was imperfect, the test version that was without the use of a full nine tailed beast powered Rinne Sharingan, as only seven tailed beasts were captured at the time. And this was both good and bad thing because it meant that their physical bodies were out there soulless and on the verge of collapse and they still had an entire world to save. 

Now it was just the simple task of four reasonably intelligent experienced shinobi to put their heads together to figure out how to break out, power themselves up and defeat Madara and Black Zetsu all over again before Kaguya could be set free. 

Despite all that, Sasuke still felt optimistic about their future endeavors. After all, he had the one person by his side that made the impossible seem like a breakfast snack for children. They would not fail.

 

They weren’t in a dream world at all.

Kakashi was still reeling from it all. Sakura’s original hypothesis was that they were still stuck in the genjutsu, only together because of the unification of the Susanoo. But after a more in depth discussion and the boy’s little incursion into themselves well, things just got more ridiculous from there.

And he felt incredibly stupid for not realizing it earlier. Especially when they went to his father’s cave. When he was a boy, the two had travelled there together and his father had left something for him that Kakashi would be able to access when he was strong enough. In both worlds, he had never gone back because of the bitterness he felt towards the man. By the time he had been killed during Pain’s attack on Konoha and had made amends with his father’s spirit, the war was on and he never had a chance.

But when they got there and Sasuke commented about him not being able to use wind chakra he knew it was wrong but also correct. He knew he could use all five elements, but that wasn’t the same here. This body, this Kakashi, could not. It was a small difference, one he never noticed before because he had no need of it. The knowledge was there, like muscle memory of the body’s limitations, and his own soul didn’t argue with it. The conflicting information had confirmed his suspicions, the item in the box cemented it. 

Kakashi and the others had two sets of memories, and while a large majority overlapped, there were small barely noticeable variations. This was one. He distinctly remembered his father dropping something solid into the box, while he also clearly remembered seeing the flash of white piece of paper being stuffed inside. This world’s box housed a set of black rings, his parents wedding rings. And he knew that his own world’s box would contain his father’s note.

Yet now that they knew what they were up against, as unfathomable and impossible the tasks at hand might be, Kakashi knew without a doubt that they would succeed. And this time, there were three things he had to do. After all, it would be hypocritical for him not to, and Naruto’s uninhibited amorous display of affection towards Sasuke was quite inspiring.

The first, was to grab that damn Obito and kiss him, hard. He knew the other man loved Rin, but Kakashi had held a torch for the man for so long and had let him slip away before without telling him how he felt that it had been eating at him for what felt like an eternity. He knew his Uchiha’s body would not make it for long after their upcoming battle, having endured too much in their previous fights and as the ten tails jinchuuriki, not even Naruto could save him. Besides, the man had suffered enough and had earned his rest.

But Obito had been his first love, and even though Kakashi had allowed room in his heart for another, he needed to get this off his chest so that he could finally, truly move on.

The second thing was to never, ever become Hokage. It was too much work, too much paperwork, and so incredibly boring. Instead, he wanted to make the next series of Icha Icha, an homage to the great Jiraya who had made Kakashi’s life bearable through his wonderful writings. He supposed some travelling may be in order as well, after all, his father had left him something important.

The third and final thing he needed to do was probably the one thing that scared him the most. After securing the future happiness of his three precious people he spent a lifetime failing, it almost seemed insignificant. His own fulfillment was always secondary, but now they were talking and making plans and insisting that he needed to have his own happiness too. They told him he deserved it as much as they did, if not more so. They had all spent so long taking the punishments they believed they deserved, living in between misery and contentment, that if they all didn’t live happily ever after then why even bother leaving this world and just sit and wait until their souls fade away once their real bodies finally shrivel and shrink into husks. The imagery aside, he knew they were right.

So once they were home and Madara and Zetsu and Kaguya were taken care of and the world was safe Kakashi was going to have to summon every ounce of fortitude he could and ask Might Guy on a date. His long-time rival had been waiting for him patiently for decades, waiting for Kakashi to be ready to move on and accept him, but never pushing for more than their friendship, for which Kakashi was extremely grateful for. He had realized some time ago the feelings he harbored for the strange man were deeper than he cared to admit, but he was still holding onto Obito and his guilt. No more. His former students were right. He had repented enough.

 

Naruto had seen himself braced against Sasuke, their foreheads touching as their Rinne Sharingan shrouded eyes bore into one another. He saw the pain in his best friend’s eyes, the struggle and strain on his tense form as together they maintained the Susanoo protecting them from the banging of the greedy tree. He heard the voices of the tailed beasts within him, screaming and growling and cursing him. Kurama’s voice was enough to make him want to weep. He had no clue how much he missed his Kurama until that moment.

Outside the Susanoo, he heard the yells and clashing of his father and the other three Hokage’s fighting against Madara and calling for him. From what he could tell, they were holding the other two off from getting to them. It seemed not much time had passed there, which explained why the memories of the last sixteen years were so hazy for them, and meant that they hadn't really been here long either. This world was not aligned with their own and their souls had to catch up, merging and taking over the body of their dopplegangers. Sakura had suggested that this was due to the jutsu compensating for four souls, the odds of a universe where they all fit apparently was a miracle, so having it be a few years ahead wasn’t that much of a stretch considering. Still, this jutsu was extremely powerful if it was able to transport souls for some three-dimensional dreaming just to maintain the body long enough to extract their chakras and convert them the more zetsus without killing them, assuming that all the information they had gathered here was also relevant to that of their own.

He saw Sasuke’s eyes flicker and he knew the other man was trying to move his body but they were too weak. Naruto struggled himself but only managed to twitch a finger before he felt himself slipping back.

He ground his teeth in frustration. Damn. That meant the possibility of Momoshiki and the others showing up in their world was good too. But they’d deal with that later on. Now was the time to focus on their task. Which was…

“I got it!” he said suddenly, visibly startling the others.

“What is it?”

“Ok so, hear me out. We need to go to Mount Myoboku so that me and Teme can take a dip in the Sacred Oil Fountain and utilize as much nature energy as possible because these bodies aren’t ours and aren’t completely compatible with our souls so we need the boost and-”

“And then you can do the joint meditation again and go back to your bodies and break the jutsu! Brilliant Naruto!” Sakura shouted, jumping up from her place on the ground and going to hug him excitedly. 

“Well, that sounds good to me. If we explain things to your toad friends, they can send our other selves back home once we’re gone as well.” Kakashi added. 

Sasuke stood and dusted off his pants. “Let’s go then dobe.”

Naruto scowled out of reflex but there was no malice in his lover’s tone. He felt the warmth and trust conveyed in those words and the words of his friends. Even after all this time, their faith in him was staggering. Steeling himself, he summoned Gamakichi and asked the toad to reverse summon them to the mountain.

 

It took three days of eating bugs, training, and trying to not to kill one another but they did it. They explained everything as well as they could to the sage toads, who, after taking a uncomfortably close inspection of all of them, agreed with their theory. The souls to whom the bodies belonged to were suppressed into a slumber at the back of the mind, and would be released once they vacated permanently. The toads promised to explain everything to them once they returned, and said something along the lines of this not being the first time they encountered this particular phenomenon. Once they were ready, Naruto sent a message via frog to Shikamaru letting him know that all his clones would be temporarily recalled for some sage business and not to worry. After all his clones were dismissed and he was at full capacity, he and Sasuke shared one last kiss before they plunged themselves deep into the abyss.

 

He felt his dominant hand, the one with the sun embedded on his palm, respond to his demand for movement. It was rough, like he was moving through a vat of boiling hot tar, the resistance and pain discouraging him but he was no stranger to pain. He pressed on.

Slowly, he brought it up to where he could meet Sasuke’s moon kissed hand halfway. They touched, sending oceans of energy into one another like electric currents. He saw Sasuke’s lip tilt slightly in a smirk which he returned with a grin of his own.

With one last push, they joined hands and made the sign of the rat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full playlist:
> 
> 1940-Submarines  
> Us and Them-Pink Floyd  
> Ordinary World-Duran Duran  
> Counting Bodies Like Sheep-A Perfect Circle  
> Pet-A Perfect Circle  
> Sweet Dreams-Marilyn Manson  
> Toes-Glass Animals  
> In the Air Tonight-In This Moment  
> Closer-Nine Inch Nails/In This Moment  
> Parabol/Parabola-Tool


	11. Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dreams-Fleetwood Mac
> 
>  
> 
> And here is the last of it! Please let me know what you guys thought of this! It's not too dialogue heavy, just a view from Team 7's eyes now that they're all settled in.
> 
> Warnings for time skips (because memory and thoughts aren't linear) and some sexiness.

“Itachi! Get back here!”

“No way! You gotta catch me first nee-chan!”

“Wait! We can’t go in there-!”

Naruto and Sasuke looked up from their shared desk as the door to the hokage office slammed open and a small blonde haired boy with large black eyes fell face first onto the floor. He hopped up quickly and ran over to the two smiling older men.

“Hide me papa! Nee-chan is after me!”

“Oh she is, is she?” Naruto laughed and swopped the 4-year-old boy into his arms and shielded him with his white hokage cloak, which was decorated in red flames at the bottom and kanji for sixth hokage and sun in the back.

“Tsk. You play favorites too much dobe.” Sasuke said as he bent down to tickle a small foot that was poking out. He was rewarded with a small giggle as the foot disappeared and the Uzumaki stuck his tongue out at him. 

“Ano…” A gentle voice spoke up from the door way. A slightly older girl with long black hair and gentle blue eyes bowed lowly. “Apologies fathers, we didn’t mean to-”

Sasuke stood and made his way over to the girl who stood at attention. His hokage cloak was white as well, but with black flames at the bottom and the kanji for sixth hokage and moon on the back. He reached the girl in a few strides and reached down to poke her forehead. “It’s alright little love, you and your brother are always welcome to come and annoy us.”

“Nice to meet you Pot, I’m Kettle!” Naruto piped up from behind him. Another small giggle came from his cloak and immediately the girl turned her slightly flushed face towards the sound and narrowed her eyes. Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey there Menma-chan! How’s my favorite daughter today?”

“Tsk. I’m your only daughter papa. Please hand over Itachi-chan now. We are going to be late for lunch with the twins.” She crossed her arms and stared down her father with a perfected Uchiha glare. 

Sasuke smirked in approval and bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead and placed his hands on her shoulders and mirrored his miniature’s stare. Naruto, in turn, clutched Itachi a little tighter and made a scrunchy face. Menma might have been named after his other-self due to her appearance but she definitely took after Sasuke in terms of personality. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Menma-chan. And Sakura-chan didn’t mention you guys were having a playdate today.” Itachi giggled again and squirmed in his arms and Naruto sweat-dropped. His son on the other hand was definitely all him.

“Auntie Sakura told you two nights ago when we had dinner at their house. Uncle Sai is going to take us out to bar-b-que after we help decorate for the party. Sarada and Inochin are spending the night at our house too so that Aunts Sakura, Ino and Uncle Sai can celebrate in private.” Menma finished with an irritated tone. Naruto blushed and Sasuke chuckled. 

“Oh yeah! I remember now!” Naruto looked up to Sasuke wide-eyed. “Oh shi-ttake mushrooms! Did we get Ino a present yet?”

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. “Nice save usuratonkachi. And yes, ‘we’ did. Now hand over the boy so we can finish up with the team assignments for the genin class.”

“NOOO!!!” Itachi screamed and scrambled out of his father’s cloak and climbed up on top of his head like a monkey. “YOU CAN’T MAKE ME! I DON’T WANT TO CLEAN!!!” Naruto winced as Itachi yanked on his hair with a death grip and from the other side of the room he heard Sasuke chuckle under his breath.

Menma sighed and walked over to her brother and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him off a comically weeping Naruto. Itachi started crying too and the two blondes reached for each other dramatically as she pulled the smaller child away. “Come on otouto, you know our papa’s need to work now so they can come home on time. How about I buy you some sticky dango on the way to the Yamanaka House?” 

The short-lived tears and wails stopped as the blonde boy turned to his sister with large watery eyes. “You promise nee-chan?” Menma smirked and gave a short nod and released her hold. “Ya-ta! Bye papa!” He gave Naruto a hug and a kiss before quickly releasing him and running over to Sasuke. “Bye mama! I love you!”

Sasuke blushed and scowled. Over on the other side of the desk, Naruto finished placing a kiss on Menma’s cheek and gave her a tight hug as the two of them chuckled. “I prefer you call me ‘papa’ Ita-chan.” He tried to look stern but it never had the desired effect on his babies so instead he sighed and bent down to give his son a kiss on the forehead. “I love you too. Have fun and listen to your sister.” 

The small blonde giggled and nodded vehemently and grabbed his sister’s hand while she was in the middle of hugging the larger raven goodbye and pulled her bouncing towards the door.

After they left Sasuke shut the door and fixed Naruto with his strongest glare. He crossed his arms over his chest and the blonde raised a brow. “Why doesn’t Menma call you mama?” The raven questioned.

“Uh…what do you mean? Why would she?” 

“You carried her.” He replied simply.

“So what?”

“So, I carried Itachi and he insists on calling me mama despite how many times I’ve asked him otherwise. It makes no sense.” Sasuke huffed. 

“Eh? Maybe it’s because he got used to you in Oiroke? You used it for a while after he was born so maybe…?”

“Idiot! The only reason I used it in the first place was because you were too much of a baby to go through labor again!”

“And you were the one who insisted we have another baby so we could restore both of our clans! It was only fair you stepped up too! Besides, I told you if you were too chicken you didn’t have to-”

Naruto was silenced as his lover pounced on him, slamming his mouth onto the other’s and each moaning into the kiss. Sasuke bit down hard on Naruto’s lip eliciting a sharp his and groan. Sasuke lapped up the blood from the already healed wound and wrapped his pale fingers around a hardened tan cock, somehow free from its constricting confines. 

“And if I told you I wanted you to carry our next child?” he asked huskily.

The blonde was barely coherent. Sasuke was stroking him and whispering in his ear while another hand had undone his shirt and was pinching his left nipple. He moaned deeply as a mouth sucked and bit down on his Adam’s apple and Naruto’s grip on Sasuke’s ass tightened. “What if I told you I wanted to make another baby right now? Would you transform for me? Let me fuck you here in our office?” Naruto’s moans rose in volume as Sasuke sent him explicit images through their link and, quite literally, straight to his rock hard erection. 

“Fuck…Sas…!”

Sasuke’s hand ceased movement and gripped the base, preventing Naruto from his rapidly impending release. Naruto whined and tried to buck his hips up, but the dark haired man’s hold on him was definite. “I’m waiting, Naruto.”

Said blonde shivered. The way his lover said his name like that never failed to make him melt. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t thought about it before, having another baby. He had always dreamed of a big family, and with Sasuke…well…he had everything he ever wanted in one person.

 

The moment they broke out of the tsukuyomi they hit the ground running. Sakura and Kakashi took a moment to heal before going after Obito/Zetsu while he and Sasuke went after Madara. Thanks to an additional several years’ worth of muscle memory along with their previous fighting experience against Madara they timed his defeat just after Kaguya was freed and left him to be dealt with by the first Hokage. 

Their fight with Kaguya went according to plan as well. They couldn’t let her couldn’t continue to let her exist and sealing her back within the moon was not an option anymore. They didn’t want to chance her getting free again, especially if the others of her kind would be coming one day as well. So they allowed her to think that she had won, and as soon as she transported them to another dimension to fight they took the gloves off, killing her and Zetsu before returning to the others. 

After they saved the world, the hard work began.

Not everyone was content with letting the once rogue-nin walk around free, even if he was dating the Hero of the Fourth Ninja War. In fact, that made a lot of people even more angry. However, Naruto didn’t care, and Kakashi and Sakura supported them a hundred percent, to the surprised of many. The only people who weren’t shocked to find out the two strongest ninja were bumping uglies were Shikamaru and Yamato, the latter mentioning something about Naruto talking in his sleep a few times. 

So when they tried to lock Sasuke up and try him for his crimes, Naruto and Team 7 wouldn’t allow it. Naruto pointed out the fact that Tsunade had turned her back on the village after her family died and didn’t return until he won that bet against her, one she had no faith in him even winning. He also saved the village from Pain’s attack where she failed only because of Sasuke. If Sasuke hadn’t pushed him, he wouldn’t have been as strong as he was. Sasuke was the one who defeated Orochimaru, something that she and Jiraya should have done after if not before he had killed their sensei. Sasuke was also the only reason they had won the war and were able to release everyone from the tsukuyomi. As strong as Naruto was, he couldn’t have done it on his own, and no one else was strong enough.

In fact, if anyone needed to be punished for crimes against the village, it was the council. They forced a child to commit treason, followed a corrupt official who apparently even attempted an assassination attempt on the third hokage according to Kakashi-sensei, and made countless other questionable decisions behind the hokage’s backs, including her own. They were the ones who hurt the village, while Sasuke saved it. If they wanted to punish Sasuke for anything, then Naruto would pay the price for him. The Uchiha had suffered enough at the hands of their village, and if they refused then Gaara had offered them both sanctuary in Wind Country, which they were prepared to accept. Naruto knew in his heart that it didn’t matter where they were, as long as he and Sasuke were together. His previous experience as hokage had taught him where his true happiness laid, and that was with the Uchiha.

 

Sasuke never said a word the entire time Naruto and the others argued on his behalf. He still believed he needed to be punished for his crimes, punished for killing his beloved brother, punished for hurting Naruto, hurting Sakura. He was prepared to pay the price as he had before. The village itself meant little to him now, it only mattered because of Naruto. Naruto was his sun, his light, and without him Sasuke was a lifeless satellite floating in the cold darkness of space. And while Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi all presented their points, he listened solely to the sound of Naruto’s heartbeat, concentrating on it as if it was his own lifeline. When Tsunade and the other Kage finally relented and granted Sasuke a full pardon, as well as stripping the rank and citizenship and issuing the imprisonment of the remaining council members to somewhere called “blood prison” (Naruto had a feral smile when they were handed down that particular sentence), Sasuke could only hear the comforting sound of Naruto’s heartbeat. His life. 

Less than a year later the two married on top of the Hokage Mountain on Naruto’s eighteenth birthday. They had spent much of the time prior earning their way up to jonin ranks, rebuilding the village and Sasuke’s reputation, as well as hunting down the areas where Sasuke had previously discovered remnants of Kaguya’s activities, so they didn’t have a lot of time to plan. Sakura however, did, and the wedding was alive with the vibrancy of blue, orange and red colors as well as heart-shaped half-Uzumaki swirl half-Uchiha fan decorations. Sasuke would have been embarrassed if it wasn’t for his stoic nature and the blondes utter happiness, so he merely thanked his once-upon-a-time-wife for her considerable effort.

Sakura’s confession to Ino on the battleground was only shocking for all of thirty-seconds before Ino confessed to only pretending to like Sasuke all these years to make her jealous. Sasuke blinked in surprise before releasing a breath in relief. He wasn’t as fortunate with Karin, who was always a bit crazier than normal crazy, and she actually tried attacking Naruto before Sasuke stepped in front of him, stopping her cold in her tracks. She cried and clung to him and Sasuke called Suigetsu to get his future wife, making her sputter in indignation and the water-nin mock-gag. Juugo and Orochimaru however, agreed that the two pairs made good matches. 

The one person Sasuke felt a bit bad for though was Hinata. He could tell the way her lip quivered and her fists clenched when Naruto spoke to her that she wasn’t going to take it well. She may have been his “rival” when it came to Naruto’s love, but she also genuinely cared for him. He had always known that. But Sasuke wouldn’t consider giving the blonde up, despite all his doubts that he deserved happiness that the blonde brought him, the love, the hope for the future. He would never give him up. He didn’t care if they were being selfish, they had both suffered and sacrificed enough that they deserved their happiness. Later, when she confronted him and warned him not to hurt Naruto again, his first impulse was to correct her harshly. But years in another life had granted him patience, and instead he thanked her for loving Naruto and continuing to look out for him. Over the coming days, the confrontation/reaction was repeated several times with other concerned parties.

And although Naruto now had many people who loved him and would protect him, Sasuke knew that only he held the blondes heart. And then Menma came along, and their family grew just a bit bigger.

It started off with a few discussions. Restoring their clans, previous experiences with fatherhood, experiences with their parents (in somewhat unconventional forms on Naruto’s end, but that wasn’t really surprising all things considered), use of surrogates, bloodlines, and finally, Oiroke no jutsu. Kurama confirmed that the jutsu was perfect in terms of anatomy, even if Naruto didn’t know if when he first created it. And all it took was some teasing on Sasuke’s part (don’t tell me you’re a scaredy-cat Naruto?) and nine months after their wedding they had a daughter.

Later, at Sakura, Ino and Sai’s wedding, Naruto issued Sasuke a challenge that would either make or break the great Uchiha. Of course, Sasuke accepted, and after learning, no, perfecting, Naruto’s ridiculous jutsu, confirming its superiority with Tsunade (who informed them this was not the best way to settle a bet, not that they were going to listen to her), Sasuke found himself pregnant alongside Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Temari, and Ten Ten, much to Naruto’s amusement and his own chagrin.

 

Now Sasuke was leaning over a flushed Naruto, both of them sweating and panting. The memories and thoughts washed over them both over the last few years. They both wanted this, but neither would be giving in easily. They were equals now, both in power, position, and in their marriage. This meant that if Naruto said yes right now, that later on Sasuke would be expected to reciprocate. That meant four children, instead of two. A bigger family. More little perfect mixes of his beautiful raven running around their village. He never thought Sasuke looked more beautiful than he had when he held their babies.

Sasuke’s breath hitched and he blushed as Naruto’s thoughts reached him. Naruto reached up and cupped his face lovingly. Dirty, filthy sexual acts never phased the Uchiha, but adoration and all the mushiness that bubbled up inside the blonde and were spouted without filter would have the stoic raven red in the face and shying away. Soon, Sasuke took over and sent his lover certain memories from when the blonde had been transformed, large tan breasts bouncing up and down as Sasuke pounded into a tight tan pussy, the use of Sasuke’s shadow clones and carefully controlled lightning chakra…

Naruto growled and pulled his husband’s mouth towards his own, devouring him and ripping their pants off before throwing the smirking bastard on the desk and spreading his legs. “I’m going to fuck your brains out right now, as a man, until you can barely walk and your sweet ass aches from my absence…” Naruto shoved himself in to the hilt and Sasuke moaned/whined, his hole still prepped from this morning’s activities. “…and then…” he pulled out slowly and rammed back in, shaking the office with his powerful thrusts. 

“…then you are going to repay the favor…and…fuck me…until I’m…completely…satisfied…and…pregnant…do…you…understand…Sas..’ke…unhh”

The man under him moaned and clawed at his back, digging his heals into tan ass-cheeks. “You’re going to…have to…fuck me harder…then…usuratonkachi!” he challenged.

Naruto’s blue eyes snapped open to see the mismatched Mangekyo and Rinnesharingan glaring up at him lustfully. Saskue’s chakra rose and Naruto felt his own rise in response as he seemlessly transitioned into kyuubi-sage mode. It was definitely a kink for Sasuke to fuck and get fucked by Naruto in his most powerful form, and Naruto admittedly loved it himself. Sasuke was the only person whom he never had to hold back with, whether it was fighting, loving, fucking, or anything in between.

 

 

Over on the other side of hokage building, the walls shook and several shinobi scurried about red faced and avoiding eye contact with one another. Even with the privacy seals set up in the office it did nothing to stop the earth shaking pounding when the two hokage decided to go for an afternoon romp or two. Shikamaru, the hokage’s advisor, muttered his signature catch phrase and motioned everyone to continue with their work before entering the conference room.

Kakashi looked up as the Nara entered and sighed, shuffling through some papers and clearing his throat as he looking around to his fellow council members, all of whom were seasoned enough in matters of war, sex and of course Naruto and Sasuke, so they remained unfazed by the now usual rumblings. He turned to his newly-wed husband who was saying something about the “sounds of youthful love!” to a fellow council member. 

“As I was saying, the Kazekage Gaara has reviewed the data and approval ratings of Konoha’s new dual-kage system and has decided to move ahead and implement the system in Suna. We can expect Kankuro to announce his formal candidacy soon.” Kakashi finished. 

 

Two years ago, Naruto was deemed ready to take over Tsunade’s position as hokage. She had tried her hardest to convince Kakashi to take over immediately after the war, but he would not be broken. It surprised many when Naruto announced Sasuke as his running-mate, and although many were opposed to the idea, given Sasuke’s history and/or the complications of two hokage, Naruto was able to address the council with his reasoning. As if the unpredictable ninja, who never did anything the way anyone expected, would become hokage in such a boring and traditional manner.

It made Kakashi proud when his pupil argued that there have always been, in a sense, two hokage. One who was formally recognized, such as Hiruzen Saratobi and the one who worked from the shadows, such as Danzo. The idea of balance, not one person holding all the political power and shouldering all the responsibility, was a good one. And two leaders, who were equal in power and shared the same basic views for the people, but also were able to challenge the other in questionable decisions would be a good for the village. He didn’t need to argue that Sasuke had essentially been his shadow hokage before in the other world and it worked out fine, but Kakashi threw that in anyway.

What sealed the deal however was Sasuke’s contribution to the proposal. Besides the fact that Naruto refused to do the job without him, Sasuke had been, as usual, silent in all political matters. Kakashi knew that Sasuke would act as shadow hokage no matter what, though now with two children, his ongoing exploratory mission into the Otsutsuki were usually handled by their clones, who had finished over a decade’s worth of work from the other world within a few short years.

Sasuke shared the story of how the village came to be, told to him by the Hokage’s themselves during the war. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha brought the two strongest clans ever known and created something amazing, the first hidden village. Had they been smart enough to lead the village side-by-side instead of electing a single person in a popularity contest, then perhaps things would have been different.

Tsunade, Shizune, Iruka, Hiashi Hyuuga, Guy, Kurenai, and himself were forced to agree. Of course, Naruto refusing to take the position and all the damn paperwork without the Uchiha to suffer with him might have had an influence as well. 

 

The other six council members shared a look as a particularly loud roar thundered and shook the building. “Tch. Those two are getting to be ridiculous!” Tsunade finally spoke up, slamming her sake cup down on the table.

“Mah, I seem to remember you breaking a few desks in your time Lady Tsunade.” Kakashi countered. He knew the woman loved Naruto and still held a bit of prejudice towards the Uchiha, but he had been committed to supporting their happiness, even if this woman could kill him with a single punch.

Shizune giggled and Tsunade at least had the decency to blush, though she was now definitely planning his accidental death. Iruka hid a laugh behind a cough and spoke up. “Ah, that sounds wonderful. I’m sure Kankuro will make a fine Co-Kazekage.” The others nodded in agreement. 

Kakashi smiled and looked over at Shikamaru. “Anything to add Nara?” The other shook his head and the Hatake rose from his seat. “I guess that’s it for today then, we can wait until tomorrow to let the Hokage’s know about Suna’s decision. They should er…be finished with the team assignments then as well.”

The others nodded again and Iruka took his wife’s hand and helped her up. Shizune was only four months along in her pregnancy but the academy teacher was an overtly fussy father-to-be. Hiashi offered to walk Kurenai home since Hinata was there watching Mirai and his grandson Metal. Guy immediately started bending Hiashi’s ear on how youthful Hinata and Lee’s child was. 

Kakashi chuckled remembering how that particular union had surprised him at first. In the days after the war Lee and Hinata had found comfort in one another in their shared mourning of Neji, and their son was likely to grow up into one of Konoha’s greatest taijutsu legends between Lee, Guy and his Hyuuga lineage. Ten Ten had grieved in her own way, throwing herself into baking and learning how to cook competitively, a skill which utilized her knife skills and innovation, and also which later on led to her finding a new friend then lover and eventual husband in Choji Akamichi. Their daughter Cho Cho would be a force to be reckoned with Akamichi clan jutsu and Ten Ten’s skill in weaponry and taijutsu. Guy’s students were only second best in comparison to Naruto and Sasuke, who, Kakashi was proud to say, were in their own league.

Kakashi let himself be led by his husband as they accompanied them towards Kurenai’s home. He held Guy's hand and lazily read his manuscript which was almost ready to send in, making mental notes on corrections and additions along the way. It would be the first in his series, and he still hadn’t come up with a proper title. He had taken a break from writing to enjoy his honeymoon, two-months well spent on a private island, long enough for the tan on his face to even out. Guy had been shocked when Kakashi approached him for a date shortly after Sasuke's re-entry to the village was settled, despite his student's protests. His farewell and confession to Obito had still been a fresh wound, and he needed just a bit more time to procrastinate. Guy's shock had waned quickly and it had probably been the first date either of them had bothered to go on in...ever. In the end though Guy loved as hard as he trained, and Kakashi hadn't been able to escape once he opened that door, not that he minded much anyway.

Sneaking a peak at his enthusiastic lover and best friend Kakashi felt his heart flutter a bit. Yeah, life was pretty good these days. Even if there were times he still felt he didn't deserve any of this bliss, he wouldn't give it up for the world.

His eyes darkened as he glimpsed his energetic husband's ever present green-clad bulge and wondered whether or not he should issue a challenge to him concerning tonight’s sexual activities pre, post, or perhaps even during the Yamanaka House party. Kakashi was still in the lead after all.

 

 

Sakura raced through her day with excitement. She had been looking forward to Ino’s birthday party since she and Sai started planning it over a month ago, and had carefully arranged everything so it would be perfect for their wife. She had one more hour left at the hospital before she could rendezvous with Ino at the flower shop and take her to Hinata’s to get ready. The pink haired woman sighed and glanced at the pictures on her desk. It was hard to believe that just a few years ago her life was on a completely different track, one that would have led to her and her teammates impending misery. The pictures of Team 7, her wedding, and her children all made her smile, a direct contrast to the dread that pulled in her stomach in a prior life.

 

Falling in love with Sai had been unexpected but not unwelcome. It had happened during their trip to the moon, just before Naruto and Sasuke got married. They decided to make a preemptive strike against Toneri, and things got a little messy before they got better but they ended up saving the planet anyway so no one really could complain. She, along with Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Hinata, Lee and Ino embarked on the journey, and somewhere along the way she ended up realizing how attractive the ghostly pale man was, and it was all Ino’s fault.

Ino had turned out to be more of a pervert than Kakashi sensei and Jiraya combined.

Where Sakura’s previous sex life lacked, this one definitely did not. In fact, it was so intense, she actually felt bad for her other self for a moment, before remembering that the toads were going to explain everything after they left, hopefully pushing the “others” towards pursuing their own happiness there as well, despite how messy it would be with children involved. Ino was fond of any form of PDA, innovative with chakra rope, and exceedingly knowledgeable about aphrodisiacs. Not to mention incredibly flexible and open to trying new things, in and outside of the bedroom, hence the exhibitionism. 

It started off innocent enough. Ino wanted Sai to make them edible body paint and purchased a large canvas sheet to make their “sex art” on. Sakura’s face heated up at the very memory of Ino’s tongue diving into her greedily as she laid on the canvas, breast pressed against the floor and ass high in the air, the sounds of their moans echoed off the walls along with the harsh slaps to her ass, splattering purple paint around them. Ino’s pink painted pussy left distinct impressions when Sakura had her legs spread on the floor and hands tied behind her back, leaving the pinkette to tease and torture her lover to repeated orgasm, the juices diluting the paint and forming beautiful floral like patterns.

Later, when Sai asked to see the painting out of artistic curiosity, Ino shared it proudly, going so far as to display it in their bedroom after he said it was quite a beautiful expression of their love. Sakura had been a bit embarrassed and a little jealous that Sai was seeing something so intimate concerning Ino, especially since the two were married in another life. 

Then during a heated make out session with her girlfriend, said blonde suggested they give Sai a life art-show. Sakura had been a bit offended at first and embarrassed, but Ino was anything but shy. And once Sakura started to think about Sai not as a “fake Sasuke”, or “Other Ino’s husband”, she considered the possibility of the idea. A few days later they were on the moon and her blonde lover pointed out how gorgeous the man looked bathed in moonlight, and perhaps they should make their art-show an outdoor endeavor. 

Sakura had scolded her for trying to distract her on such an important mission, because the mere idea now of being watched was starting to make her wet, before becoming more and more intrigued by the idea as the trip went on. She found herself starting at Sai almost as often as she looked at Ino, engrossed in thoughts too lude to speak aloud.

It only took 20 minutes of their painting session for them to invite him to join them. A few days later they decided to ask him to join their relationship. When Ino proposed to them, Sai was the one who cried first, then Sakura. She never realized how happy and complete she was until that moment, when she knew she had the love she deserved.

 

Thinking about how great her life was at the moment was enough to get her through the rest of the tedious workday. When she was through, she stopped by the hokage tower to see her best friends who were of course arguing over team placements and asking her to take a side. She laughed and suggested they ask Kakashi for advice, which shut them up quickly. As much as they loved the man, he was now a package deal with Guy sensei, which meant they could figure out the teams themselves. She left the two lovers/idiots to their own devices (arguments always sparked their more carnal side and the twinkling in their eyes was already visible) and walked towards the Yamanaka flower shop, where her own blonde beauty was arranging a bouquet in the window.

 

Sakura saw her own reflection in the window and smiled. Team 7 was finally home.


	12. Sasuke's 31st Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Other Side of Paradise-Glass Animals

The first time he knew his feelings weren’t _normal_ was when he had to leave him. It was like ripping off his own limb. The pain was almost unbearable, but he knew if he didn’t do it himself someone else would. And he had already lost so much.

When he had heard that his brother was after him, fear overtook his body. Rationality and logic went out the window and he ran. He ran and ran and ran and didn’t stop until he found them. He told himself it was the drive to kill Itachi that pushed him there, but really it was Naruto. 

It was always Naruto. 

He had to protect his precious person, even if it was from himself. And so, he left. Ripping off the vital limb, alone again, with a small hope that one day he would understand. He would forgive him and they could be friends again. Yes, friends would be good.

The second time he felt that pain was the confrontation at the hideout. His depression had worsened since joining Orochimaru, and all he did was train and sleep and brood and try not to think about what or who he left behind. Then Sai showed up and started talking about the one person he had tried so hard to forget and after he lashed out at the pale replacement he went to his room and tried to sleep the pain away. His motivation to do anything lost in the memory of sea-blue eyes.

When Naruto finally showed up, and in the back of his mind he hoped, or rather _knew_ he would (he just wouldn’t ever admit it even to himself), it was all he could do not to breathe him in. His embrace was carefully controlled, his feelings overwhelming him. His body screaming for more contact. More of him.

More of Naruto.

The third time was at the valley. Naruto promised him something precious. Something important. Naruto was his friend. It hadn’t been really them but the memory remained. The lesson learned. All that mattered in Sasuke’s life was Naruto. 

Naruto Naruto Naruto. 

It was never enough.

A lifetime lived alone. He wandered throughout the shinobi world the same way he wandered the leaf in his days before and as a genin. The same way he lived his life with Orochimaru, with Taka. Even with a wife and child whose face he didn’t know at home waiting it was the loneliness that consumed him because it wasn’t Naruto waiting for him. Not the way he wanted. Not the way he needed him. So he stayed away, unable to face his pain, unworthy to stand in Naruto’s light, he wandered and protected. Years and years of aching, and then they were set free.

Their minds and bodies and souls were released, and he freely embraced whatever would come because he now had words to accurately describe their feelings, their relationship. Friends was not enough, nor would it ever be.

Even now, he could never have enough of Naruto.

He felt a shift in his lover’s chakra and knew that said blonde had finally woken up. Feigning sleep, he waited with baited breath to see what would happen, his barely contained excitement akin to their children on Christmas.

Naruto always made him feel this way. 

Especially on his birthday.

Cautiously, Naruto shifted on the bed and lowered himself towards Sasuke’s crotch, using two-lifetimes worth of honed ninja skills not to disturb the stillness of the room. Slowly, the thin sheet that covered their naked bodies was removed. Sasuke’s chakra remained undisturbed.

His internal smirk and pretense gave way to a low groan when he felt Naruto’s warm tongue begin to circle the head of his cock, instantaneously opening his eyes, dojutsus active and locked on to sparking blue gems. 

Neither of them said a word as Naruto began his slow ministrations. Licking and sucking languidly, tan, rough hands sensually massaging his thighs, abdomen, calves, chest, arms, everything and anything they could reach. He felt the low vibrations in his lover’s throat reverberate around him as Naruto moaned, taking Sasuke all the way in and swallowing him whole. 

Sasuke was lost. Lost in a world where nothing but Naruto and his love existed. Pleasure and joy and- 

“Oh Kami yes! Right there Naru, fuck!”

Fingers brushed against his prostate, causing him to arch fully into the mouth currently engulfing him. A mixture of saliva and pre-cum lubricated his balls enough for Naruto’s free hand to massage and occasionally suck in concert with the sucking and stroking of his shaft, the ever-present pumping of fingers keeping a steady beat, never wavering in their tempo and force.

He really, really loved his birthday.

He tangled his fingers in blonde locks and began rapidly thrusting, fucking his lovers mouth with unbridled passion. Naruto’s moans increased with his own, both losing themselves in the moment. The swollen head of his throbbing member found permanent residence at the back of Naruto’s throat. He was being sucked and swallowed and loved so hard that he was seconds away from bursting. Relentless fingers slammed into him, and as he reached his precipice he felt it all go in a tidal wave that wiped his mind of all thoughts other than bliss.

He came down slowly, being released from plump lips with a small pop and fingers gingerly sliding out of him, Sasuke shuddered in contentment and drew his husband up to him, wrapping his arms around broad tan shoulders and nuzzling into his natural heat.

“Hey Teme, you better not be going back to sleep yet! I’m not done!” 

Sasuke could practically hear the pout. He chuckled and felt Naruto shiver against him. His hands moved down to caress soft globes. “Oh? And what exactly did you have in mind usuratonkachi?” he asked, already lifting a thigh and pressing his hardening cock against Naruto’s cheeks in anticipation. 

Naruto groaned softly and flipped their positions so he was straddling him. Arms crossed over his chest, he looked down at him and Sasuke’s smirk widened into a smile. “What? You’re not even gonna thank me for your good-morning-birthday-blow-job? I don’t think I even want to keep going anymore if you’re gonna be that ungrateful you bastard! And don’t smile at me like that, you know I can’t pretend to be mad when you’re all happy dattebayo!”

Happy. Sasuke was happy. He wasn’t for a long, long time. Smiles were small, few, and usually for the wrong reasons. Sakura had tried, as his wife and friend, but it hadn’t even come close to what he felt now. 

This is where he was meant to be.

“Sasuke,” Naruto’s gruff voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Stop that. You’ve been doing that all morning, focus on me. On us _now_. Ok?”

Shit. Busted.

“Hn.” They intertwined fingers and Naruto bent lower to kiss him, releasing one hand to reach back and position Sasuke at his entrance before sliding down. When did he pre-?

"Fuck Naruto! You're so damn tight!" Sasuke threw his head back and gripped his partners hips tightly.

"Hmm" Naruto bestowed sloppy kisses along his pale collarbone and neck, circling his hips and slamming down in a maddening unpredictable pattern.

The pace was slow, rhythmic and hypnotic as the startling blue eyes devoured him. The sun had yet to rise and by the time it did they would both be full of each other’s essence and yet Sasuke knew he would still want more.

He would never have enough.

 

 

Later that night, they laid in tangled limbs exhausted from the day’s festivities. Their three children had practically destroyed the kitchen making him birthday breakfast, Naruto of course being of no help other than to put out the fires and hiring a re-decorator. 

Lunch had been a larger family affair. The other “rookies” having become uncles and aunts to one another’s kids, their relationships and experiences in the war driving them closer as a family as opposed to the distance in that other life. The strangeness of it all striking him at odd moments, such as when Kiba hugged him so hard he lifted him off the ground, or Choji going out of his way to make a separate cake just for him made of bitter chocolate and green tea just because they were friends and important to each other. Sakura’s smile threatened to block out the sun while she sang happy birthday _Sasuke-nii_ , and Kakashi’s toasts were as always, inappropriate but full of familial love.

Dinner had been just the two of them. The rare moments that they indulged in romance, away from their responsibilities as Kage’s and fathers were their favorite. When it was just them in their own world.

His day had been one of contentment.

He had been lonely for so, so long. And now his life was beyond full. His heart no longer heavy with the memories of loss. He wondered what Itachi would say if he saw him now. Would he be happy for him? Proud? Would he be upset that he was with a man? Would he-?

“Shut up Teme! You’re so loud and ridiculous I can’t hear myself think!”

“Tch. Let go of my hand then, I’m allowed to think whatever I want.”

“Oh? Well then tell me, do you really think Itachi would be upset you’re with a guy? With me?”

Sasuke regarded him with a serious expression. The idea that his brother would be disappointed in him for choosing another man had haunted his innermost thoughts for a few years now, but he couldn’t bring himself to tear away from Naruto, even if it meant his family would be unhappy with him in the afterlife. 

“I don’t know. Uchiha, like the Hyuuga, were known for being very traditional. Nii-san loved me more than anything, but I don’t know if he’d be completely accepting of us.” Seeing the hurt flash in Naruto’s eyes, he quickly amended, “Not that it would change my mind or anything, it’s just something I can’t help but wonder about, you know?”

Suddenly, a devious smile worked its way across the former notorious prankster’s face. “Welllll….y’know I can help answer that for you, if you want.”

Sasuke raised a suspicious brow but nodded. Now that the serious conversation had started making hard left he was curious to see where this was going. 

“Ok, remember this morning you were praising my super-awesome blow job skills?” Sasuke huffed. He wasn’t exactly praising out loud but yes, Naruto was an excellent lover and his deep-throating skills were enough to drive Sasuke back to the brink of madness sometimes. He nodded and the blonde smiled in triumph. 

“Well, you can thank Itachi for that!”

Silence.

“What?”

“I saaaaid Itachi shoved a-”

Sasuke sat up with a sudden force and pounced, caging Naruto on his back and a menacing vibe radiating throughout his core. 

“Naruto.” The raven said warningly. The last time he had been this jealous and possessive was Naruto’s last pregnancy. Hinata had been coming around more often and the house had started smelling like her. It brought out the territorial male in him to an embarrassingly high degree and Naruto didn’t talk to him for a week after he freaked out on the blunette.

The blonde under him uncharacteristically panicked and held out a hand, cupping Sasuke’s face and sending images, memories though to him. 

 

_Why are you so obsessed with my brother?_

_Naruto, defiant. Unruly in his dedication and confidence in Sasuke._

_Unspoken declarations of devotion and approval._

_A crow, making its way down his throat despite Naruto choking and struggling._

_Itachi, leaving Sasuke in Naruto’s hands. Trusting him with his precious person._

 

Sasuke let go and rolled over. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Hn.”

“That’s all you’re gonna say?” Naruto sat up and looked at him expectantly. “No thank you? Nothing? C’mon bastard!”

Sasuke smirked devilishly, causing the blonde to draw back almost unnoticeably. “I suppose that means, as wrong as it may sound, that I should probably be thanking my brother for that birthday present then instead of you.”

Silence.

“WHAT?!”


End file.
